Zonks
by Rakusa
Summary: Being gifted was not always a blessing but in the case of these two they might just be able to turn this curse around and make a new history together with all of their friends.
1. Prologue

Zonks

5/25/2003- original

3/31/2012- remixed

Summary: 21st Century Serenity Knolland and her all male crew find themselves in a land other than their own. There are competing prophecies from the locals, one in which they are known, and the other in which they play no part.

–

AN: This was originally titled Far Ago to Today and the story was different but also very similar. I'm going to use ideas and thoughts I had in that one, but expand on them and create something more suited for my writing skills today, rather than try to force myself to fit back into my 2003 beginnings. (Not to say though that I was immature then, that might actually be today's description of me. ;P ) I also like the idea of using the title of Zonks. It reminds me of a few things in the past, but that might be more of an inside joke than I might realize. Oh well.

AN2: I also originally had all of the female characters named differently, except for Serenity. They all still started with the same letters and they all had names meaning what they should, fitting of the characters. I'm going to miss those names, though they were all different and difficult to keep track of, they had an older and western sounding to them. So instead of as a first name, they'll be their last names. So that in mind, each will be double lettered initials. Haruka Harvati for instance. So.. HH. At the end I will share with you their names laid out simply and what they all mean. Taking Harvati for an example, it means Army Warrior. I know I will get a lot of negativity for changing the names, one or two would have been ok, but all of them is just confusing so I've refrained from doing so altogether.

AN3: This is going to be very **confusing** at first and its **meant** to be **that** **way**. These are just pieces to the puzzle in the first part of this chapter and then it will start pulling in, together and it will make sense later on after the prologue. It doesn't all follow one character and its not happening at one time, not at all, not until things start becoming more linear again (after the prologue). Thanks for listening to my ramblings, onto the story! I know you were all looking forward to it. :D

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><p>Prologue<p>

–

Running. There was a lot of running.

Wheezing? Were they really that out of shape or was it just the leader?

Oh dear, that blade did look very sharp and dangerous. It had a very clear target and that target was here. The sword swung and eyes shut painfully tight to try and block it out. Hoping that something magically would happen to stop this from happening. Maybe even wake up and discover it was all a bad dream. Oh that would be very nice.

–

"Endymion!"

Endymion gasped loudly, waking with a start as not only the shout but also the hand on his shoulder grabbed him awake. He looked about the small area, trying to calm his breathing. He looked up into the violet eyes of his favorite. She held his gaze for a long moment before she turned her eyes away to glance behind her where another woman stood.

"Come on, Endymion! They're setting fire to the place." She looked back at him and he saw the urgency in her eyes. He scooped up his small belongings and followed her out. The other was behind him with not too much time between.

"The others?" He asked, breathing in the smoke that reached them quickly.

"They're up ahead." The one who stayed behind to take care of their tracks answered. "I sent them out earlier to scout out a safe place to regroup."

It wasn't too much longer that they finally met up with the other three. There were six of them in total. One was still brand new to their group and she hadn't been with them more than a day. They were not through yet. There were still three more that they had to find. Endymion smiled, pleased to see all of the ones they had now, alive and well. They had quickly become his family.

–

"OW!" Serenity complained as her brother hit her in the abdomen with his elbow. She rubbed at the spot under her long slinky blue dress. "We're going to a party, why do you have to be so rough?"

"I didn't mean to Sere." Her brother apologized. "I thought you'd react quicker than that." He was flicked in the head by another man. "Hey!"

"I thought you'd react quicker than that." The other man responded innocently, getting the first man back for harming Serenity.

"I don't always need to be on, do I?" Serenity tried to breath past the pain. Her brother hadn't meant to hurt her, he hadn't even meant to touch her.

"With the way you go about things, it might be safer." A third man added to the discussion and when Serenity leveled him with a gaze he held up his hands in self-defense. "All right, maybe not _always_, but when you're alone or when there isn't at least two of us present, then you do."

Serenity bobbed her head. "Yeah, yeah yeah. I still don't know why _I_ need to know this stuff. You're the ones always getting into trouble."

The second man wrapped his arms around Serenity and looked down at her with a raised brow. "Excuse me?"

Serenity only laughed as a fourth opened the car door for them so they could get on their way to their party.

–

The room was hot and the bed was sticky. Serenity lifted her head off of his chest. She had just had another dream. This was the umpteenth one in the last year. They hadn't been there before. They hadn't been there for any other relationship, however short lived those had been, and they hadn't been there to stall this one off.

The feelings she had in this dream about a man other than the one she laid with were so much stronger than the one she was now seeing, or rather they were different. How could she be having feelings so deep for an individual she had never met? She owed him so much more than this, she had to be fair to him, even if she didn't want it herself. She at least needed to give them the option. She had to tell him, or if that failed, she had to call this off.

It might just break her heart more than it would his.

–

She pleaded with him, begged him to give it a chance. He wouldn't have it. He tried to let her down gently, but no matter what he said, it broke her heart.

He left the room, and she sagged onto the ground in tears. She cried into her knees, her wool dress soaking up her tears. One of their friends came out and offered her comfort. She turned her head and buried it into her friend's chest, sobbing. A hand came and rested on her back, making soothing circles to try and calm her. Words were said to try and reassure her, to ease her pain. But nothing could do that.

–

Endymion opened his eyes to a pendant laying on the hay next to his head. His forefinger hooked around the delicate chain as he sat up and looked around the barn that they had been hiding in. His mother, whom the pendant belonged to, was no where to be found.

Even at fifteen, he was well aware of the meaning her absence meant. For some reason though he had been expecting it and had only been surprised she had lasted so long. He'd never see her again.

He opened the pendant and he found a scroll older than time hidden within. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the script he had never seen before, in a language he had not known he was could read. The words inside forever changed his life.

–

Serenity popped off the wooden top of the crate they had just received. She was so excited. This was the first time her major had allowed her actual hands on experience. She set the the crowbar and hammer aside and slid the lid back so she could get at the things inside easier. She started moving around the packing material. She took out a few to be unwrapped from the protecting shells and went digging for the large items that she had been promised would be inside.

She found the mostly still intact pot from Herculaneum out of the wooden box. She pulled back the newspaper surrounding it with awe as the intricate designs started appearing. She shifted it so she was holding the pot in her bare hand against the red clay and black interface so her other hand could remove the paper from it completely.

However she never finished as she was suddenly thrust into a land not of hers. Her feet were still on the ground in the basement of her major's building, but her mind and sight were sent years back, to the time just as the volcano was erupting. They had very little warning. They all piled into the boat house, waiting for the next one to come and take them away from here. Ash blew in around them, they wouldn't even make it to see the lava. It was difficult to breathe. One by one people around her started sagging to the ground, turning from their olive tones and white togas to ashen and gray. White speaks coated their black hair and their clothes once white were dirty instantly. Everything was being gray-washed, rather than white-washed.

"Serenity?" Someone asked, but not from where she was in her mind, but from where she still stood. Serenity was pulled back to the present with such speed she felt whiplash. She felt sick and she almost dropped the pot. The one that had interrupted her caught it before it even left her grasp. "Are you feeling all right?"

Serenity blinked, not quite believing this world was real. She looked up into her professor's kind blue eyes and she nodded slowly. Then she shook her head. "I don't think so- I- I have to go. I'm sorry!" She ran out of the room, not sure where to go, or who to talk with about this. Would anyone believe her?

She stopped outside, the sun was starting to set and she found a bench overlooking the pond near her old dorm room. She sat upon it and buried her head in her hands. What was that just then? Was it real, was she going crazy, or had she imagined the whole thing because she was seriously sleep deprived?

Serenity heard someone jogging and then their pace slowed to one spot, but they were still jogging and then they were coming closer to her. "Sis?" It was her brother. "Is everything alright?"

Would he understand? "No!" She complained, burying her head into his sweaty chest and sobbed. She didn't know what was happening.

–

He was lifting her head with his finger, looking into her eyes and she was starting to lose track of her own thoughts. "You have quite an ability, my dear." Her eyes were open but it was as if she was being lulled into sleep but her body would remain awake.

She was sure she made some sort of sound of protest.

He laughed. "Together we would make the best team. Say you'll join me? Then I wouldn't have to do any of this, you could be left alone."

A mewl came out as she wasn't even sure if she was hearing him correctly. Then she was suddenly awake and she saw the man on the ground, tackled by one of her friends. Then she was out of the room and they were heading towards safety.

–

"That's a pretty scepter." Serenity commented, her hand going out towards the jewel encrusted item in front of her. Her brother was by her side, and her other friends across from her.

They were agreeing with her until they understood exactly what she was doing. "No!" Her brother reached for her but it was too late, her fingertips had already brushed against it.

"Where are we?" One of the other men asked once they realized that they were no longer where they had once been standing, in their little antiques and relics shop.

"Nice going Sere."

"Oh leave her alone!"

"Don't be cross with me just because-"

"Enough!"

"Sorry..."

–

"Ah crap." She complained as her sword hand became embedded in the man's spine.

"That's the problem when you use that kind of sword. You have to either lose it, unlatch it and use both hands to pull it out or get someone to help you. Seeing as the second one will lose time, you always need someone around with you to protect you and to help you."

"I can get it out with both by hands while the one is still latched." She argued.

"All right then." Laughter followed the words. "I'll just protect you while you struggle with that."

She tried to to pull it out but was unable to. She struggled with it for a moment longer before she called for help. "If you would have let me finish my sentence, instead of challenging me, we would have been done with this a long time ago. I was going to say, unless it was stuck in bone."

"You got it there, can't you get it out? Or does your strength go only one way?"

"Enough ladies." He sighed as he came over and helped her remove the sword from their enemy. "Switch it up next time, would you?"

"Yes."

"Sorry." The both bowed their heads in apology for causing him distraction.

"Good." He walked away, taking out two more as he went to go check on the others.

–

Serenity looked up and there he was. Her smile brightened and only grew as he came near. He held her gaze for a long moment before he completed what they both had wanted. He leaned in and kissed her. Full on the lips and she sagged against him. His hands caught her and he whispered something throaty down to her.

She nodded and they went running off to go do more of what they wanted, behind closed doors and in complete privacy.

–

"Serenity, I know this is out of the blue-"

"Shut up." She cut him off but there was a smile dancing along her lips, so he knew she wasn't being mean. "Go out with me?"

"Of course." He gathered her close and kissed her. "It's all I've ever wanted."

"You're speaking my mind."

Her brother was watching on and he chuckled. He clasped a hand onto the man's back and shoulder next to him. "Tough luck bud."

–

He was barely on his own for two months when he came across a woman with long dark hair and violet eyes. She was crouched and facing off two other men. He would have interfered anyway. The fact that he felt drawn to her in a way he was not used to had very little to do with this but it did give him more of a reason to. She looked like she could handle herself and the men were fools for even attempting whatever they were after.

He had taken a step forward when she lashed out at one, he went down quickly. Endymion quickly dealt with the next one and he turned to her to offer her praise and see if she was all right, but when he did so, he was looking down a very long shaft of a blade.

Endymion looked up into her eyes and was floored by the color, very unusual and beautiful. They looked at each other for a long time before she cracked a smile. "I'm Rei."

"I'm Endymion." And their bond in that moment was forever cemented. Rei would deny it was savior worshiping that had lead her feelings towards him and he would try to deny those same feelings for a long time. No words of thanks were necessary either.

–

Rei watched on as he took a local woman to bed. All eight had been gathered and he was free to finally act on his impulses without worrying he was going against his orders completely. Her lips quivered as they kissed on top of the stairs before heading into the room. A woman stood near Rei. "I am so sorry."

Rei's eyes turned to the blond next to her and they were watery. "Thanks Mina." Today she wouldn't sob into her friend's shoulder. Today she would be strong and walk away. "How's Makoto? Still sore from having her hand devoured by a man's chest?"

Mina laughed at the imagery, it shouldn't have been funny, it should have been very scary, but having seen a youma's chest do just that, the fact that it was a mere man let her blow off steam. "Sore pride, perhaps. Haruka's not helping matters." Rei nodded, though her back was turned to her blond friend and tears were streaming down her cheeks.

–

These were two very different worlds and no one knew that soon they would be colliding. Well perhaps one or two did, maybe even three or four, but they weren't talking. One knew it would eventually happen, maybe not this exactly, but it was bound to turn out to have a chance occurrence like that at some point, perhaps. At least prayed that it would.

Still, it was a surprised to all what happened next.

* * *

><p>EAN: So, that's it for the prologue. I know it is topsy-turvy and jumps around a lot. It's meant to be like that. It's giving you insight into both worlds without giving away <em>too<em> many details. More shall be uncovered in the future. It'll be a lot more linear from now on, and perhaps your answers will eventually be uncovered. :D


	2. Chapter 1 Makoto

Chapter 1- Makoto

AN: Did the prologue scare people? Sorry. Hopefully this will interest you more then. Personally though I love the prologue.

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><p>She was thirteen when it happened. She had always been strong and a fighter, getting into scuffles with the local boys. She was usually taking on the ones older than her until she hit her preteens. Then they shot up to be taller than her, but only just. She usually won because of that fact, her height and weight added to her favor. Then the very same boys started hitting on her instead of trying to fight.<p>

Their scuffles got a lot more touchy and weird as they'd pin her down, the victors and many would try to kiss her then. She squirmed out of their holds and after the first time, had learned to avoid it if the hints were there. The first time she wiped her mouth off and glared at the boy for doing something so odd.

He felt wounded, but tried to play it off. She wouldn't see them after that for a long time. Then when she was thirteen she pissed off the wrong one. He was not interested in her like that, but he was interested in teaching her a lesson. She half believed he thought she was a boy.

Her hair was always up in a ponytail, she was developed, boy was she, but she wore trousers and loose blouses to hide it. She also wore no makeup. She could see where someone thought her male, especially while she was so tall. He even called her 'boy'. What was she to know? She'd always snuck to the front and snagged what she wanted, even if there was a line. The adults were amused by her, thinking she was precious, and the kids were scared of her, but were also her friends.

He was one of the customers, he hadn't been from around these parts and he chased her out of the building, despite the owner trying to protest. She was still a girl after all and grown men shouldn't be roughing up females, but his hands were full.

He'd sent a pageboy out, one of the only kids who had dared not to wrestle with her. He was overweight and shy. He was also very kind to her and everyone else, despite being teased. Makoto actually protected him in turn from other boys. With her protection he was usually left alone.

The man had shoved the boy out of his way to get at her, and he went flying into a feeding trough. Makoto was pissed. She stood up to her full height and when he took a swing at her, ranting about taking his spot in line, stealing food and whatever else, she ducked and avoided it.

He had on her several pounds, probably fifty and he was well above her height. She might be a tall thirteen year old but she hadn't grown into her full height yet, she was still a child. Then he left himself open and she took the shot. She had never broken a man's nose before. Her punches were usually held back and weren't usually spot on or strong enough to do such a thing.

She didn't break his nose this time either.

No she did a feat much more difficult. She broke his jaw. It splintered along the solid bone and he howled in pain before realizing that caused more pain and he slumped to the ground, unable to move. It had been a delayed reaction and she looked down at him in surprise, how had she managed to do something like that? She knocked him out!

The boy watched all this and jumped to his feet. "Makoto! You have to run!"

Makoto looked at the boy like he was crazy. "Why?" Really, she had witnesses who would back her up, that she had only been acting in self-defense.

"You just killed him!" The boy was looking at the prone body but Makoto was shaking her head and laughing.

"No way. I'm not a killer. He's still alive. He's just not moving." How could she, a thirteen year old _girl_ kill a guy like that? It wasn't possible. "There, see, he's breathing!"

"He's going to come after you when he wakes up. He'll be sorely tempted to kill you."

"I'll defend myself again!" Makoto vowed.

The boy let it be, and Makoto in an effort of self-preservation went home, took her hair out of the ponytail, threw on some make up and found one of the dresses her mother had bought for her.

The man walked by her in the street without ever knowing the difference. He looked for her in all of the boys' faces, but could never find the pup that had make his head spin and his jaw bruise up to hide his face. The man had difficulty eating for the rest of his life and never forgot the boy, but had never seen him too clearly either. Every year he came back, looking for his revenge.

The towns people knew who had done it. They never pressed charges, but since that day, they started looking at her differently. Not because she now wore dresses on occasion, that would have gained looks anyway, not because she grew older, taller and more curvy, but they were now scared of her. Even the adults no longer looked on her with that same fondness.

She was not prosecuted, but really, she should have heeded that boy's warning and left that day. At least then there wouldn't have been astigmatism with her everywhere she went. Even a few towns over they knew about her and avoided her. No one would even look at her, not even her parents. They sold things to her, but they were always looking away.

Makoto wondered if perhaps she would be better off far away. Even though it had been years since it happened, she could still leave.

Then after she turned sixteen someone came along with all the answers. Her family thought she might be off to join an army, they were already battle worn and their clothes had bloodstains that were nearly impossible for them to get out. Makoto knew a remedy that would fix most stains, and so she offered her services. They not only folded her into their small band, they recruited her upon first sight.

She never thought to say no and if asked again knowing then what she knew now, she'd say yes still. Her answer wouldn't change in the slightest, there would still be no hesitancy of saying 'hell yes' and packing up to go that instant. Not that she'd needed much, she knew right away that theirs would be a life on the move.

But they accepted her, liked her for her abilities and never looked at her twice the wrong way. She was one of them and with them she fit like she would not fit anywhere else.

At sixteen she became a killer. She had never killed anyone or anything before in her life. Hadn't even wanted to, the thought never even occurred to her to do so. She hadn't been unaware of what was happening around her, in fact it was quite the opposite. She knew what everyone was doing, why they were doing it and if it came down to sides where she would stand. She was not unaware of her world, nobody was that naïve, even babies knew who was good and bad.

The war had been going on for far longer than anyone could remember. The reason it started was starting to blur into obscurity. The war was so common place and part of their lives that they almost didn't even notice it anymore. People died, bloodshed would demolish a community but the next day when it cleared out and moved onto the next town, the one destroyed would be rebuilt again. Individuals cared, sure they did and if you weren't part of the warriors destroying things, then the deaths were dealt with as if they were crimes, as they were. But there was a pass on the bloodshed if it was done in the name of war and they weren't alone. People always knew what the real situation was and the matter would come to light.

There wasn't much though in legal justice. The soldiers would just come back and kill more people if it came to that as a solution, so people toed the line and didn't commit too much crime. Nobody wanted to be killed or see their loved ones die needlessly.

On the plus side, it kept the population down to a reasonable number and there wasn't too much illness or if there was, it didn't spread as it had in the past. That also kept the crime rate down, there was plenty of food for all and land and nobody was really stepping on anyone else's toes. At least not where Makoto lived. There had to be a large population of all the different types of fighters and clans out there to keep supplying these armies with vast numbers that never seemed to dwindle.

Now she knew where they came from and how they kept the numbers so high. But then and there and who they all were, they hadn't a clue. They were part of that forth group, or rather they were and she had just been pretending. She was part of an elusive and exclusive fifth category. One with only seven members.

When she joined the wandering band of misfits, there had only been three. She made it a complete four. Everybody thought she was mad to go with them, that they'd never survive and they questioned the ratio and why one man would want so many female companions. Why the girls would want to be with only one male. Some swore it was against their religion for this to even exist. Makoto had suddenly opened her eyes to how sheltered they all were, despite the deaths or because of them, and how little they knew. They judged without understanding and these three made perfect sense to her, had then and that had never faltered. She had even helped others see and understand what they were after.

So that is why Makoto began on this journey. She hadn't cared about the real reasons they were traveling from town to town, looking for certain females to join their cause. They even had to turn a few away that wanted to join. Makoto didn't care about their true mission, one she fully supported by the way, but rather that they gave her an out of her small country town where she was one of the richest among them but it hadn't mattered. She was an outsider anyway and now she fit in station where she fit in life. Now she was with others that she understood and understood her and for once in her life, she felt like she belonged.

The killing didn't really bother her, she understood why she had to and what they really were. The monsters and humans alike were her enemy and if she didn't kill them, they would kill her. Even if she hadn't posed a threat to them, she would have been slaughtered anyway. It was mindless really, what their enemies did, they fought with no real end in sight. Nobody could stop it, but they were managing to put a dent into the casualties and number of opposition, but it was slow and tedious. There were results but they weren't enough to really celebrate about.

The reasons were there, but it didn't give her nightmares about following orders, in fact she rather enjoyed it. It was adrenaline, heart pumping action. She didn't have to sit around waiting for a man to come to her rescue or take her to bed. She was out there fighting every day, she was doing what she had always loved to do, but this time with a deadlier outcome. She was controlling her own destiny and she enjoyed ever step.

That's not to say she's become a heartless, ruthless killer. It did affect her, in small ways. She protected as well as lunged into the fight. She had saved a family only last week. They hadn't thanked her properly, but she didn't need that. They had cowered in fear of her, but she had saved them and that's all that mattered. And her remedies for removing blood from their clothes did work, but it couldn't do anything about the blood staining their hands or faces. Those splattered of red and green had to fade in time, like the wounds they received and in some of their hearts.

It was funny because these are all of the reasons she joined. But somehow through it all they survived and became friends. Helping one another, supporting them, being there not saying anything sometimes. They moved well together, they had become friends as well as companions in arms. It was that friendship that meant the most to Makoto. Though now that their ranks were complete and they had every personality she could think of, every fighting style, every hope or dream. She still felt like they were missing something. Something in the battlefield and something in their moves and something in their personal lives. She just couldn't explain what it was. They moved well together, but they didn't move as one. And she hadn't expected anything to come about in her personal life, but a lot had and she was eternally grateful, it pleased her greatly. So she couldn't ask for anymore, she should feel fulfilled now and let the matter rest. Nobody else said anything either so maybe she was just never satisfied and in time she might ignore it to the point it no longer exist. But still, she wondered, what could be missing? She couldn't figure it out logically or systematically. For now though, she'd set it aside.

"Makoto! Lunch is on, come eat!" Her blond friend called out to her and the aroma wafted towards her. She began to wonder if perhaps she should eat if the blond had made it. Usually that was left up to her and Makoto stood up and joined the others for the midday meal.

* * *

><p>EAN: I'm thinking you'd all like backgrounds on each of them as they joined, so that's why I did this. I started with Makoto because she wasn't Rei or Endymion and I know you all want to see them first because that would be logical and linear as they came about before her. (Or did they?) Haha. That said though, I thought it would be interesting to take it apart in the middle before going back or forward. I did Makoto here, but I'm not sure I will be doing all of their stories. We shall see. I think that would get tedious after awhile. Makoto seemed to be an interesting one to write at this time. I'd like to tell you who to expect in the next chapter, but I haven't decided yet. So please leave me a note on what you thought. Thanks!<p> 


	3. Chapter 2 Amy

Chapter 2- Amy

AN: The decision's been made and its... oh well I guess you already know from the chapter title. Ok then, never mind. I had to think about this a lot as there are a few things I would love to write all at once and each are dependent on the last. That said, it took me awhile to figure out who would be the topic in this one. So I went back a little.

AN2: I'm not sure why this hasn't been getting reviews. I liked the original summary, but hopefully this new one will bring in more that are interested. If it's because they're in a different set up and Serena/Endymion haven't actually met yet, bare with it, they will. It's not every day I get to do a story like this. It's intentionally tossed because I am experimenting, and you guys are making me feel as if the experiment is failing.

Hope you enjoy.

–

She was fast-tracked for the perfect life. She was one of the lucky few to live in the country yet be close to the capital. She had good friends and wonderful parents. She even had a suitor. Her parents had taught her everything they knew and in her father's case that was quite substantial. She was brilliant, even compared to men.

Her home was laid out perfectly and she enjoyed every room she stepped foot into. She never wanted to leave. She was perfectly content, her life was going according to the plan she had laid out when she was seven. One would think at that age you couldn't account for everything, that you hadn't enough grasp on the real world to adjust for inconsistencies and inconsequentials. But she had.

Nobody thought that you could make a scientific formula for love and relationships unless it was arranged above your head and you just had to live with it. But she had picked everything out perfectly. She even knew what to say to stroke the man's ego that she picked and never let him know that she had only picked him because he fit perfectly into her plans.

Life just didn't work the way that she configured it, but somehow even at the age of fifteen it was going exactly how she laid it out. Even the small details were carefully penned in, unable to be changed but not needing to as she had looked ahead. Even brushing her teeth was down to a science and an amount of time.

Why would anyone want to leave such a life? It might be planned out but to her that was the exciting bit. Sporadic-ism and chaos were no fun. She was never overwhelmed and took everything slowly and processed it quickly, morphing it into how she saw fit.

Real life as everyone else saw it was only because they didn't understand the cycles that she could predict. She knew how everyone was going to react at any given time. It had to do with seasons, the moon and sun cycles, where they lived and what they ate. She could change anyone's foul mood into a pleasant disposition, even if she couldn't make them happy, they left more calm and pleased than they came in. These feelings of goodness stayed with them and echoed into others that they touched. They were never angry with her and this trained them to always be in a fine temperament when they went to meet her.

She had trained everyone.

The best part was that nobody knew she was manipulating them.

Nobody knew that despite this perfect life on the outside she was terrified on the inside. Not that it was all going to fall apart, or be perfect, but for the tiny cracks that she couldn't handle. Like intimacy. She could trick her intended into not wanting that and he would never be the wiser, and she knew she never wanted children. But then why must she share her wealth and skills with anyone at all?

Were she to die of something, anything, then there would be nobody to pass these things down to. They could not be in control of their own lives. And would it all fall apart after she was gone? She didn't think so, she had embedded all of these things into everyone she met and unless she removed them herself, they could not taken apart, these mental blocks and tricks.

There was one issue with this, she could not be herself, holed up in a room all day reading. She had to be installing them into others. She had not yet mastered the manipulation of creating someone else to do this for her in her favor and have the ones she never met under her control, only the one that she had do it to them. Also it meant that she always had to be perfect. She was, so it was not too much of a problem but she was also human. Though those human flaws were easily hidden because of what she knew about humans and all the different cycles and what they ate caused easily marked reactions.

So in the eyes of the world she was perfect and they all thought that way, once a day, but they never mentioned her to anyone else. She did not want more attention placed upon her. However if someone were to be asked, they would say only positive things that would shed her in the best light.

All was going well.

Until one day when a couple of strangers entered the town and deemed to pay her a visit. She did not often let strangers up to see her in the middle of the day. She made an exception for these though as they had quite an unusual tale to tell.

She was not blind to the war out in the world, that never seemed to touch her town. If no one died or was blemished, the people were easier to control. So to those outside of this town, they did not exist. They were nearly invisible unless someone came upon them unknowingly yet on purpose.

How these two strangers found her in the midst of this hidden town, well that was quite remarkable in that feat alone so she allowed them an audience.

"Hello." The man said, leaning over and bowing to Amy. "We were passing by and couldn't help but notice this beautiful home."

"We have actually passed by here three times before noticing this town. It was rather strange, but we knew something had to be here."

Amy looked upon these strangers and felt something stirring within her. She tried to crush that feeling, she no intention of feeling anything for anyone other than her parents and that's because she had to. "That is rather strange. Perhaps it is because we are so insignificant and you hadn't wanted to see it. When you go on your way again, you will forget all about us."

The man and woman looking strangely good together but also too similar save for their eyes shared a look before they turned back to Amy. It hadn't worked! Maybe she said it wrong with these strange fluttery feelings stirring within her. What was this? They couldn't be immune were they? She tried another tactic and still they sat in front of her completely peaceful.

"What is your intentions here, in town?"

"We weren't sure at first." They shared another look and smiled, encompassing her into their look. "But we found it the moment we set eyes on you."

"Let me understand this correctly... your intentions here are me?"

"We'd like you to join us on the road. You are one of us and we'd like you to come along and fulfill your true calling."

"My life is here." Her words hadn't been what they were expecting. He had set out at once and she hadn't even needed to be asked. For Amy to offer up even the slightest resistance was interesting.

"Surely you have felt it. First two years ago and then again today when you set your eyes upon him." It was the woman speaking and Amy looked at her with her head tilted.

"You have remarkable eyes. Are they natural or have you been touched by the arts?"

"They have always been natural." She defended herself, almost coiling back as if offended that they would be due to a cause outside of her own being.

"I do not mean to upset." Amy would never win in a fight with anything but words. That, she would always be the victor. That is why she sculpted such skills for herself. They were not magic, but they got into the mind and played tricks on the individuals that she encountered. She used their own brains against them. "I am only curious about this outside world from which you hail."

"It is quite marvelous."

"Adjectives and descriptions." She chided. "These only tell me the looks. But what good is it? There is no reason for me to venture outside these bounds. I have a happy life here, one that is settled and that which I enjoy."

"But you cannot feel complete!" The woman, no she was still only a girl like Amy.

"I feel more complete than you know." The words would have rang true to her only a few minutes ago, but now she felt the hollowness it exemplified. She had always wondered to what end she was creating this life. If it was not truly what she yearned for she could have found a way out of it long ago. Though the things she had not wanted, were to be forced upon her no matter how many ways her words could wheel and deal. Society demanded two things from her and nothing else. This society in which she belonged could have no other demands on a woman.

"There is something missing in your life!" The girl protested, trying everything to make Amy see. Amy knew all the pleads and words out there. There was infinite possibilities to string them together, yet people always grasped at the ones they knew and heard most often. They did not venture outside of what they knew.

"What use would it be?"

"You can make this life you built for yourself better." The man, no, he was only a boy still as well but he held and spoke like a man. He would only become more as he aged.

"How do you see this?"

"You are not happy here."

"I am ecstatic and what's more, I am at peace. That cannot be said for anywhere else in this world." Amy denied instantly.

"That is true, but you are a woman." His words had her attention though she tried to deny it. If her words could not move them as she pleased then she vowed they couldn't move her either. However she did wish for him to continue on with his point. "As a woman there is only so much you can do, so far you can go. Eventually pressures will be placed upon you that you might not desire. The fact that you are well educated usually does not work in your favor, but in this case it does. That too will only hold you up so far. You must have children to repopulate this dying land. Either you do so willingly or you lose the ability to control your husband since you cannot do as you wish yourself."

"Endymion-" The girl tried to stop him but he shook his head.

"No, she needs to hear this. This is not one girl you can sway with your passion, Raye. This is someone who needs to be approached mentally. Correct me if I'm wrong, Amy, but even if you hold these feelings that Raye claims you have, you will deny them if your head does not find the value in them?"

"You are not wrong. So far feelings have no value at all. Though your points do make sense. However I am unable to help you or see how I could be more beneficiary out there than where I am currently."

"You would help us fight. We will defeat all of those who oppose us and we shall be the victors! Women will gain the ability to become educated and emancipated. People will live long and full lives, there shall be less of a need to keep the numbers up with the support of everyone rather than those who wish it. You may die an old spinster if it pleases you or rather if it completes the plan you have laid out for yourself. Perhaps it might need an adjustment."

Raye did not look pleased by the bluntness of his words or what he was saying at all. Raye, Amy could see even now, had every desire to make Endymion hers and to eventually settle him down in the future into a relationship that Amy wanted to run from.

Amy removed her attention from the shallow black haired girl and turned it back to the man-child who spoke to her mind rather than her heart. Many made this mistake in doing the opposite because she was a female and it was a mistake that they never realized they committed though she ended up with the upper hand. "You have an interesting way about you. Is there a reason I am unable to affect you?"

"We are here to recruit you. Until you chose to leave with us, we cannot be forced away. However I do believe I shall leave you with the time to mull it over. We will be at the inn waiting your decision. Though I do not wish it, in one week we shall leave to find the others, without you if we have to. We may come back once more when that is finished to see if you have changed your mind. However I have come to the conclusion that if your decision is in the negative, we shall not have a different answer then."

Amy nodded. "You are very wise, Endymion. Either way, you shall have an answer, I owe you that much."

"I hope it is yes." Raye stood after Endymion did, not realizing that they were leaving just like that.

"Thank you, Amy. We shall see ourselves out." Endymion bowed to her and didn't even attempt to kiss her hand like a man would in greeting or departure. Amy watched them leave from the window in the room she currently occupied. The sitting room was a great place to greet guests and also to spy on them as they left.

Raye was talking and loudly. "Why have we left! We need to get her to come with us!"

"Raye, we cannot force the issue. If she decides it is better to come, then we will teach her the way of a warrior to get the end she wants, but if she doesn't, we will accept that decision."

"I don't like it." Raye grumbled and whatever he said in response to that was unheard by Amy as they disappeared from view and hearing.

Amy turned back to the room, looking at how perfect it was and how she wanted to change nothing about it. If she were to marry, this place would either be no longer hers to call home, or she'd be sharing it with the man she had chosen for her future.

Raye had been right, something had changed two years ago and then something had again today. She would never have followed these changes, pushed them aside and continued on as she had. However Endymion had spoken to her on a level she was unaccustomed to. As soon as he laid things out for her like that, she could not deny what the logical path would be. Her answer was already staring her in the face.

She did not take all week to get back at him. The next day she was packed, her horse was saddled and she told her family goodbye. They responded almost mechanically as they wished her well on her journey, just as she wanted them to react and say. Even they were not immune to her skills.

She rode out to the inn and Endymion was saddling up his own horse. "That is rather presumptuous of you, is it not?"

"It is rather presumptuous of you to think this is because of you." Endymion responded.

"You will teach me how to fight?" Amy asked, changing the subject without a transition. He was smart enough to follow and her abilities didn't work on him anyway. He was one of the only people that she could talk plainly to.

"I will." Endymion finished buckling one strap and turned to look at her seriously. "However my skills are limited as well. I know only what my mother taught me, the skills that have been passed on through the years. However they are not good enough on their own to survive for long. Raye has been teaching me her art-form. In time you shall learn both and whatever else we pick up along the way."

"Something is better than the skills I possess now. Raye possess other skills that I could benefit from as well. I will join you on this journey and when it is over, I will return here."

"That is fair. Is there anything else you are required to know?"

"I require to know everything. For me to change my decision, nothing is necessary, it has been decided and that is the way it will remain until I complete this aspect of my plans."

Endymion nodded and called out for Raye to finish packing everything up. Raye had not believed Amy would decide so quickly or in agreement. Amy only shrugged when Raye questioned her on it. Endymion knew of her reasons and she did not believe she needed to pointlessly share for those who would never understand.

She had felt incomplete and though their circle was now full and she was doing what she needed to, she still felt like something was gone but it was better than before. She ignored it though, thinking that when they finished it would be filled. Either way though, feelings were only distractions and Makoto was going to teach her a move she had not yet learned and one that looked positively deadly. One that would aid her in a lot of incoming battles.

"Why are you learning anything from her?" One of their comrades asked, she had short shaggy blond hair. "All she knows how to do is get stuck into an impossible situation and then needs help to get out of it again. I am the one you should be looking for for tips."

Makoto and Amy both ignored the taller woman. Amy would ask for help in other areas from her, but for now, she knew Makoto was quite skilled in this area and would be an excellent tool to learn from. Makoto also, secretly, was one of her favorite people here. She had a strength that Amy could never possess and it was something she wanted to capitalize on. Make herself better.


	4. Chapter 3 Mina

Chapter 3- Mina

AN: So I'm not going to do Rei's background story. I think it will be uncovered enough throughout the rest of it that it's not necessary. Endymion's... well there is one sentence I would love to write and it needs a certain scene to write it, but the sentence isn't that spectacular. So I don't believe I will write his back story either. That means that so far after this chapter we're 5/9 characters finished with this world. I'm not sure I'll do back stories on the other one. Probably not. Also something that will probably come out enough through the rest of the story to suffice. (Also a good sequel option, or rather prequel.)

AN2:Procrastination Fairy asked about the names, why there is Raye, Endymion, Makoto, Amy, Mina and others, etc. The answer to that is, they're all of the same world, but they live far away from one another. I talk of cities in their views, big cities but those are the ones that are close to where they individually live. I will probably clarify a lot of this in the story later on, or throughout, but for now, its on purpose. (The way I chose the names however as to where they live is personal preference as Raye and Rei are so close to the same name, that I'm not really changing it. Same for Ami and Minako as Amy and Mina. Neither Darien nor Mamoru would have worked so Endymion it is. So glad that there's three names for him to chose from. Moon only has 2 really. So she's Serenity in this story, though on the options for characters I picked /Serena because she's got more of a mix of personality and she's not the princess.)

AN3: Also commented on was the fact that she's with all males... that's on purpose. You'll see. It's not that she doesn't have any female friends, just that, those are who she's surrounded by the most and its not a lot, only a few. She's still the Serena/ity you love, just a bit more mature as they're all a bit older.

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><p>Hers was a life of glamor. As much as Amy wanted her perfect world, she hated the spotlight and pressure to perform a certain way. She was very much capable of it, but she preferred sitting alone. Mina while similar in status was opposite in personality but the end results were the same. She thrived in the spotlight, even the negative one. Though she might be ready for a change as it got a little too negative.<p>

She was not an innocent.

Far from it in fact. It was a rumor that had been started with a great deal of fact behind it that had started to cause Mina a headache. The fact that she never hid it or her personality didn't mean much. People were still shocked and appalled. The men started lining up at her door.

Her mother thought her daughter might have to submit herself to a madam and work a different street if this kept up. Especially as Mina seemed to be giving it for free. Mina didn't want _all_ of those men and so when she started to refuse it started to get a little dicey.

Before this though, she had been innocent. She had fallen in love. This was not a story of woe and heartache. She had not fallen in love with the wrong man. He had not promised her a relationship cemented in stone by marriage to get her into bed. He did not leave her afterwards a ruined woman.

No, this was not that kind of story. She was never one to fit a mold or do something cliché. This was a story of her falling in love with a man and having an intimate relationship without the promise of more. The relationship dissolved on its own when she fell in love with another man and him another woman.

The relations she had with men following that was either from love or lust and dissolved on their own or an outside force peacefully breaking them up. A few were not quite as easily broke. The worst had been when she had fallen out of love with a man just because she had and he had asked her to marry him before she could break it off. He became obsessive and angry, demanding who she could love more than him, why she thought he wasn't good enough to marry but everything else was all right.

He'd gone so far as to call her a name that the women were using in secret.

None of this really mattered too much for Mina though. She was well versed in keeping men at bay and the women despite their talk, couldn't help but like Mina to her face. It was what was said behind her back that annoyed her the most. By the women and then the men who were trying to please them. Most of them were blatant untruths.

If things hadn't started getting a little hairy for Mina, if she hadn't been put-up with the backstabbing and small-mindedness of her town, she might never have thought of leaving.

Still, it wasn't all that bad. She was showered in riches. She was lavished with attention. She was popular and she knew it too. She was pampered and adored. There wasn't a man in town that hadn't wanted to get with her, just once, and there wasn't a woman who wouldn't kill to _be_ her.

Mina had even set her sights for a man a little higher up than all the ones that were around her. One that could offer her something no one else here could.

That was, until she met another man.

This time it was one she wasn't interested in, though he _was_ devastatingly gorgeous. He just wasn't her type but he did offer her something she couldn't not get from anyone else either. A chance to start over, become someone new. Remove herself from the whispers and chains of the people around her.

He also offered her uncomplicated friendship.

She remembered their meeting well. He had been followed in to town with a sea of girls like a harem but he only looked at one more than once. She had thought maybe those two had a thing for one another. She was watching from her balcony longing to meet them. They could be anyone and she wouldn't know what was truth and what was false.

Frankly, she didn't want to know. She kind of enjoyed the mystery about them.

Then he had looked up at her and their eyes had locked. This wasn't any kind of fairytale moment between them. He still seemed disinterested in her but there was also a curious look entering his features. He said something to the woman next to him, the one that rode at his shoulder rather than behind or in front like the other two. A clear give-away that he was important, she noted dimly, wondering how important. This other woman looked up and a smile slowly spread across her face and she said something back to him quickly and almost excitedly.

The other two took turns to look up at her. The one girl in front, she seemed entirely uninterested, looking up and then peering once more across the crowd in front of her.

When they requested an audience with her later that day, she told them that she would only accept one. The way they handled this would share with her exactly who they were and what they were after. This would tell her whether or not they were even worth her time in fantasy. Also tell her how much they knew about _her_ and what they wanted.

They sent the man in. "I chose to come alone." He told her after he gestured to the chairs, she was about to offer the same thing so it was a little amusing to be beat to it. Then when she lifted an eyebrow, not in curiosity. He grinned at her charmingly. "Not for that. I believe that there is a future for you that is far greater than what you have right now."

"I am not getting married."

"I am not here for that either." His elbows were on the arms of his chair and he tented his fingers as he looked over them at her. "The set up we have is rather quite innocent in a way. I will never look at any of you that way and will never capitalize on anyone having feelings towards me in that way."

"You cannot promise that, for you've already broken it."

"All right, well I still will not have a relationship with any of you other than the formal and friendship. I am not allowed and I haven't found I am interested in except one case."

"I have seen that. There is something between you and the black haired one." Mina called him out on it. "I am curious to what you are talking about."

Endymion held her gaze for a long moment and he nodded. "All right. I shall speak frankly. I will not keep secrets from my comrades."

"It sounds like you're off to war."

"We have been every day." Endymion countered softly. There was no reason to be loud or tense. He wouldn't have been anyway. Too many people were so mysterious and that just caused problems in the end. He knew, was told, that he could trust these women and so he would. He would not put up a wall or hold back, but he would treat each of them how they needed to be individually. "I will not lie to you, this is tough, it is little to no sleep and you will have to fight. You will have to get dirty."

She laughed a throaty laugh and he could see where many men would pursue her. "Honey, that is not something I have any problem with."

"You will get bloody and you won't be scratch free." She had a shrug, but she she was listening intently. "I am looking for certain women to take on the calling, to be my arms in battle and help lead the good fight."

"Against who?"

"Against all that are not for peace. Who would harm innocents in their quests for control."

Mina nodded along with his words. "What does this have to do with me?"

"We need a free thinker like yourself. We need whatever skills you can bring. At first I thought it would just be women who were all battle hardened and ready to go to their deaths the moment I walked in a room. That has not been the case at all. You all have unique attributes and so far only half seem to have any kind of combat skills. I have not been able to choose the women who I will trust with my life, but I would have, had I caught onto the plan earlier. Though if you choose not to join, I cannot replace you and you might mean the difference between a win or a fail."

"Won't my history be a problem?"

"Nobody will judge you. You might not be the same, but you are who you are. There is not one that is among us that is perfect, but no one is horrible. You will like it, I think."

"I shall see, if I deem it necessary to have a showing with them. Now tell me more."

And so he told her more. What he told her was rather interesting, and it seemed like something she would be interested in. In the end, this is what really mattered. The rest would follow and she'd face it head on, it was all part of what needed to happen. "I extend my friendship to you and that's all it will be between us. I will never judge you or shun you in anyway. I will give you complete loyalty as I expect yours in return, if you ever decide to leave us, you are free to go, nobody will force you to stay, though they might try to dissuade you as they won't want to see you leave. You will be listened to and your opinions will be acknowledged and taken into account. It might not always go your way, but I will not disregard anything you say without a full review as long as it is pertinent and I have time to make a decision."

Mina was impressed, he was promising her everything she always wanted but he admitted that there would be times that he wouldn't be able to do as he said because he couldn't. "I won't lie, it is harrowing, I already told you it will be bloody, but that blood might be yours and it might not just be a little. It might be a lot. In fact, so much so that you might not make it away from the battle." He wanted to be very clear with her so she knew what she was getting into. Each of those before her, he accepted and pushed but they were different. He would like Mina to join them and he wanted to persuade her to come, but she seemed the most delicate so far. One would think Amy, but her mind was sharp and dangerous. If you crossed that woman the wrong way, you'd be sorry. If you lived long enough to know you were in for it.

"You are already treating me differently." Mina noted. She had no clear way to tell, but if he talked like this to those with him, well, she doubted they'd have all joined. Some, sure, but not all.

"I do not mean to. I just imagine that your life here is a little less..."

"It's not in anyway, allow me to reassure you. It is just more subtle and just as turbulent."

"All right, I can appreciate that. I have never had to deal with high society like yourself."

Mina tilted her head and her long blond hair fell over her shoulder like a waterfall, he didn't even blink twice at her. A secret smile formed but he didn't see anything but a blank mask that was slightly inquisitive. "Perhaps it is not my open mentality that you need, but rather my in to high society. Teach you how to mix with them and not be caught as an outsider."

"I would like that." He was earnest with her even then and she could see this working out.

"I am thinking about joining you. There is one last thing-"

"What is that?" He cut her off and this time she really was going to say more, rather than leave it as a question to be confirmed that it could be asked.

"Did you really think that I would be a fool enough not to know who you are? Not only the looks but also the fact that you are gathering up female followers as the prophecy has stated."

He grinned at her. "I think I'm going to love your addition to our group." The others, even Amy, hadn't figured it out until he told them, most just jumping in without thinking. "Though I didn't know there was even a prophecy."

"That's a bit of too high of praise. I am well educated and I listen to those in my circle who are always on the look out of a return to the way things used to be. Not all are for it."

"Any information is good information. I would be interested to hear more of what has been said. I have only a piece. The puzzle is not yet quite clear."

"You are right in almost everything you've said to me. There are a few things that I will have to watch out for. Nobody else will be able to spy it if they don't know or are trained for it. One more thing though, I want to meet with the others."

"That can be arranged."

–

Mina met with the others that day and she sent most of them away, except for Raye. She had the dark haired one stay behind so she could talk to her woman to woman and Raye admitted freely in a weepy, long drawn out pouring of her feelings. Mina had said just the right word to unlock her guard and when it was finished, Mina found herself in an unfamiliar position, she was comforting the other girl who now had her head in her chest. Neither thought much of it, there wasn't anything to think of as they were both females.

"You realize that he has told me that there can never be anything between you? The prophecy-"

"Prophecy?" Raye clearly didn't know anything about it, though she knew enough from Endymion.

Mina decided not to say anymore on the technical piece. "I am good at sussing out love matches. You two would do well for awhile, but you'll never be as happy as you could be. He knows this, he can't because of who he is and what has been laid out for him."

"I know, he's told all of us. But it's hard because we're both interested. But maybe-"

Mina shrugged. "I would at least tell him how you feel. See what he has to say. Though I would be prepared to have it hurt when he cannot."

Raye nodded and hugged Mina one more time, feeling the weight lifted slightly now that someone else knew _and_ cared.

–

Mina had joined them several weeks previous and so far things were going well. They were at a party trying to find more of the ones that they needed. Endymion was dancing with Raye and Mina was impressed the other girl was holding up so well after being rejected so finally. He'd told her in no uncertain terms that they could never be.

Her heart went out for the other girl. That kind of pain was never easy to deal with and Raye had a temper like no one else. However her one weak spot was always Endymion. With him, she reacted differently.

Mina found herself being brushed against at her elbow and she glanced up to see Makoto grin down at her. The tall girl was easily amused and whatever it was this time had the broad smile in place once more. Mina smiled back up at the brunette. Amy was on her other side and was also encompassed into the smile. A small one, forced, but trying, flashed across her face.

Mina was suddenly struck by a revelation. It was a nice one and one that surprised her thoroughly. She had friends now. Male friends she had, though they were often more than that and always ones she could manipulate with her charm. Endymion never even looked at her twice, treating her just like the others, and she had no feelings towards him like that. Her hormones still kicked up a notch though when other attractive males entered her vision so she was rest assured that what she had with him was only friendship and would never be muddied by anything else.

The one thing that she didn't have before or even something remotely like it, not even with a diluted reflection was female company that didn't hate her. That didn't smile to her face and talk about her behind her back. They might share stories if they weren't all together, but they wished her no ill will.

For the first time in her life she had female friends. Her life in that regard was uncomplicated. She had friends and through that for the first time in her life she felt safe and loved. They took her in unconditionally from the first moment they embraced her into their team.

That's also when she saw something that sent off warning bells. Though she wasn't sure why. She had wanted them to beat the odds and get together. But when she saw them lean in, their feelings getting the better of them, something felt off and she had to stay true to her self-professed superpower. She was the goddess of love and this couldn't be that.

What surprised her was her words as she forced herself between them and pushed them apart. "You'll hate yourselves if you do this to her!"


	5. Ch 4 And two by two they all come in

Chapter 4-And two by two they all come in

AN: Let me just reassure you all that in 2 or so chapters you'll like that it will go back to being mainstream. Erg. How pedestrian. Haha... Well, I guess it might be, we'll see. I haven't gotten there yet.

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><p>They found Hotaru at that party. She was a lot younger than they had expected and she was a bit more difficult to tear away from her family. Mina was the one that had convinced them, vowing to be the sponsor and had even lied to her parents about what they were doing. Her father was part of the opposition.<p>

Hotaru though was old enough to chose for herself what she wanted to do and make decisions. She was also far more mature to make them, so they did not feel too bad. She was part of the upper class too but she was far too young to be much use in that regard. They weren't sure yet what role she would play in the upcoming war. Her part though would have to be important if they were taking her from her home at such a young and inexperienced age. Then again, there had to be a reason that she was so responsible.

It took them a long time to find anyone else.

Then when they were all out on the battlefield they were joined by two more people. It had been a difficult battle, there were more enemy members than they were used to facing off at once. They usually waited to see who the victor was between the two sides and then join in at the last moment. This time they were ambushed. The numbers were far greater than they had thought, as the one side kept pouring in.

While a few were skilled from the get-go, there were just as many that had been learning and it had been an uphill challenge. For all, even the ones that were used to it, this current battle was strenuous and they took every opportunity to learn a better way at debilitating their enemy.

Mina had been a far greater help than many had initially figured. She was amazing at getting in there and taking care of what needed to be done. She was not at all squeamish about taking a life and that had impressed more than one as they watched her for the first time on the battlefield.

Endymion had known that somewhere deep down. For the first time they went to fight, he had given her a sword and walked away to leave her to fend for herself. Others kept in seeing distance if they needed to help, but she had been natural at it. Her cunning and wit in life had somehow transformed into outmaneuvering her opponents here.

She was more clever than most gave her credit for. She was chosen for second in command days later. A girl or two had reservations about it, but over time they thawed in their opinion and agreed with Endymion's decision. They tried not to let her know and they never treated her unkindly, but she had known they didn't fully agree. But that was one of the things Endymion pushed, free thinking and disagreements were fine as long as everyone got alone. Which they did.

Hotaru had shown herself to be a wonderful companion, she was sweet and shy. She was mature and responsible, but she did not talk a lot but when she did it was well thought out and solid. That offered a silent support system in their group. She was able to somehow be the listener to every complaint and absorb it without holding it against either the complainer or complainee, no matter how out of line the comment might be.

She on the other hand usually sat out of the fights, preferring to remain on the sidelines. Nobody had a huge issue with that, they did need someone to oversee and watch and help improve what was going on by their observations. Also to look out for them and warn them of possible problems. This day she failed in that capacity, but she amazed everyone all the same. She was cornered and had no weapon.

Endymion looked away from her for a second to see his opponents future attacks and how he could get to the small girl or how to get someone else there. By the time he looked back, which was only a split second so he could duck the current attack and then block the next as his eyes were back on her location, he saw all of them men down around her. She was instantly surrounded again with more deadly looking beings and Endymion killed the man behind him without looking. He blocked another attack as he took a few steps towards Hotaru. She was going to get hurt unless he could clear a path for her to get to safety.

Hotaru before his eyes took down all of the creatures closing in around her. She didn't even move much. Then when they were all slain and on the ground around her, she calmly took a step from the spot she had originally been standing in and over the bodies towards him.

She was the harbinger of death. When the battle was over though, she puked. She puked until there was nothing left and then tried some more. Then she shivered, not from illness or the cold, but of what she was capable of.

That was their own little area of the fight, between Endymion and the small girl, they cleared a pretty good path towards the others. Half way there, the battle somehow got even again. When Endymion was able to spare a moment to look around further than his own little area with the death monger he could see two other women that he had never seen before. He held out his hand to ward off the smaller girl from going any further. She stayed in her area taking on all who attacked her.

Endymion cut down half the distance between Hotaru and the strange women, but made sure to stay within sight of the younger girl in case she needed help. She had been proving she wouldn't need any, but you never knew. From where he was, he could watch all of the women in action. The new arrivals, yet to be determined where they stood, were quite skilled.

There was one with short choppy blond hair and she was the strongest fighter Endymion had ever seen before. She was the strongest he'd seen physically at least. The way she threw the creatures and men alike over her shoulder and how far they went flying when her fists connected. She even broke one in half when she threw her knee up into his gut and pulled down at the same time.

Makoto was strong, had been the strongest he'd seen, but this girl in some way she far succeeded Makoto for brute strength. There was something else though that Makoto had going for her that this woman didn't have though and Endymion couldn't spend the time to think about it too long as forces suddenly turned towards him and he had to focus slightly more on the task at hand.

When the battle was finally over, their enemy lay in layers at their feet, the ground turned red from the blood shed and Hotaru was off behind the trees at being one of those who had caused it. She was alone as nobody wanted to leave these strangers, not with such an important meeting and at the sheer ability they had shown. They needed to be there not only to see what they wanted but also to protect Endymion if it came to that.

The tall one turned to him and took several steps forward, his female companions closed in around him as well, blocking her path slightly. She stopped suddenly and fell to one knee, in a show of deference, but not complete submission. "I pledge myself to your cause. We are yours to mold and use for the upcoming war. We will stand by your side through it all and be there for you when the time comes for the next stage."

Endymion's gaze moved over to the other woman that was with her. She did not kneel in front of him like this one had. She came to move behind the blond and he was surprised to see a shade of aqua green in her hair. She bowed her head. "My partner speaks only the truth. We shall stand with you and be there for you, if you will have us. I do not kneel however, because I need to keep myself a little more separate, one of us has to. We thought it would be a better showing however if it were she who pledged herself, as she is the greater threat if she were not to."

"I do not need either of you to kneel. I was trying to gauge what you make of this. Neither of you must act this way. We are all equals and we fight for different reasons but with the same goals. That is all I require if you shall join us."

Then the two of them were part of their force. The others welcomed them with open arms and acceptance. Like Mina they were not frowned upon for the way they were, nobody thought anything of it. They were accepted completely and never felt like they belonged more than they did here. They shared a lot of advice and knowledge with the others and each became more skilled at fighting. They each had their specialty, but they were overall and well-rounded fighters.

There was only one more that needed to join their ranks. But like these last few, she found them in a most unexpected way.

–

It was one of the only times they managed to find an Inn that would take them in. Their numbers were quite large now and it looked rather strange to have one male with all of those females. Not many wanted the speculation to extend to their establishment.

Those that did usually gave a stern warning about stepping out of bounds. Endymion always reassured them that nothing like that would happen.

The other danger was the fear that they'd be recognized for what they were, the opposition to the status quo. A few times they were, and that wasn't always due to staying in some place so obvious. Luckily not many knew about them and even what their numbers were or how they were added together in quite their formula. Always those that supported their enemies assumed it was more of a mixed gender or a lot heavier on the male end if not all males. They assumed so because of the damage that Endymion and the women inflicted upon their opponents' numbers.

But there were the rare few that knew better and it was a fear that information would be shared with others and their troubles would expand.

This time though there didn't seem to be a problem. They had already stayed in the inn for a few days and were bound to leave to continue their search for the remaining female to join them when someone barged in to the pub they were eating at.

The door swung open with a bang and a tall figure stood in the opening covered with a cloak. The eyes landing straight onto Endymion and the girls. There were men with swords flanking the center figure and that one pointed out a hand towards them, its finger landing directly on Endymion.

The men moved forward to grab him, these strangers were obviously part of their enemy and the figure in the middle was their leader. His companions and more importantly, with the time he'd spent with them, his friends, stood instantly and stood between him and the others.

Then the one who still hung back lowered the hood and they were in view of a very tall, very beautiful dark haired woman. The lighting in there was too low to know exactly what shade of hair it was, but her red eyes were piercing him with her stare. "I knew you'd come. I knew you'd be here." Her words were soft but they held such a gravity to them, anything she said would, just her voice and tone would do that to someone. All stood, riveted to her, waiting for what she would do or say next. "Leave." She spoke and the men she was with turned to her, wondering what that was about.

Her gaze left Endymion to sear the rest of the men with it. "I have been mistaken. This is not the man I thought. You shall go home and tell everyone that the one who opposes them is short, blond and has an army of men at his disposition. My sight had been crossed with a different one, something unworthy of its attention. Sometimes that happens. The others know this. Now go."

The men bowed to her and then filed out. No one asking her why she was not joining them. She turned back to Endymion once the others were out of sight. "That will only last so long as you keep appearing and not ensuring that all have been taken care of when you leave."

"We are not intending to slaughter everyone. Our wish is to only to defend ourselves and the innocents around. If they are unarmed or have surrendered, we shall not take their life." Raye spoke before Endymion could defend himself or deny the claims.

"Why have you lied for us?" He finally asked when there was no other choice. Raye must have had a reason for doing as she did, sensed something he could not. Though he already knew as she did who this woman was. Their last. That was not all, and he was bound to uncover who she really was first.

"I did not outright lie. I spoke the truth, sometimes my visions are crossed. That will be believed. As for why? I could not allow you to be harmed, this fight, here tonight, would have cost you one of yours and they will be needed for the fights ahead. To lose one now would be detrimental to your future."

"They listened to you." Amy spoke now, coming forward. "They listened to you in a way they do not usually listen to women. Who are you?" There might have been a bit of intrigue in Amy's voice, for the woman had not controlled them with anything, not even her words. She could have said anything and they would have obeyed, but it wasn't magic either.

"My father is the top general for your strongest enemy. It is he that you will have to beat to get to the leader." She started undoing her cloak's buttons and the others looked at her with unease.

Endymion's reaction was to only sit and slid out the seat next to him. "I am intrigued. Please, join us."

Though he was offering for the others watching only a seat, his words had so much more meaning behind it, and the woman grinned at him, knowing full well what he was really offering. "I'd love to."

* * *

><p>EAN: So that's that with the individual joining of the members of this world. I'm debating on the next chapter what I'll do now. I'll give you fair warning if it is another jump. Probably will be. I had thought about making Setsuna a bar maid and she dumps a pitcher of beer on Endymion's head, but nah, that's a little over the top. I like this much more.<p> 


	6. Ch 5 60 hours in the 21st century

Chapter 5- 60 hours in the 21st Century

(a year and a half ago)

* * *

><p>Serenity was careful to use the gloves this time as she took out a piece she knew before it arrived, was from a very volatile time period. If she were to touch it, she would be sure to be killed moments after landing without a chance to come back, somehow. Nobody would stop to think or ask how she did it, they wouldn't even care that she had done it. She just would have been in the way of some kind of attack.<p>

Her brother was across from her dating the pieces into record. He could touch freely and she saw the small smile he had on his face as he read what he saw in his mind's eye. He had a way with numbers nobody else had. His talent was far easier to manage than hers. Though they were just one of the numerous abilities they had uncovered over the years. Still, she was still almost jealous of how easy his were to control.

A knock on the door brought a smile to her face as well, the man who entered was holding a newspaper, folded to the article she had been hoping for. "This year's archeologists, Serenity and Jadeite Knolland have made waves in the field that nobody can really explain. Their claims are substantial and without precedent. Minor details that they've uncovered have allowed experts to further their own research based on these two amazingly skilled researchers. Though they have not long been in the field, they have thorough records and cannot be disclaimed. There is a few jealous murmurs by lifelong veterans, but mostly the response to this sibling duo's ability to uncover facts and history have been met with praise and desire to know how its done. The two have remained mum on the topic but whatever it is they're doing, the field welcomes and encourages them to continue. To present the newest findings to the public, this year the archeological museum in London is opening its doors to their work. The night before the grand opening of the exhibit, those of considerable means will have a first look. During a banquet with funding going to further research, these men and women will be allowed early access to things people could only speculate on before. The entire London public is waiting to see if they will show up to the event. It has been rumored they've attended a few other openings in the past, but were not as well known then. If everything proves to go according to plan, this will not be the last one they'll be invited to, even if not all will be in their honor." He took a breath and then continued talking again. "Hopefully they don't show up squabbling over petty things again and will be presentable to have pictures taken of them."

"Hey!" Serenity protested. "It doesn't say that!"

"Sure it doesn't, it says it right here." He pointed at the spot in the paper and took it away before Serenity could see it for herself. Though she knew it wasn't in there, that last part. It wasn't even true, sure they squabbled, but they were the best brother and sister anyone could dream up.

"Let me see it for longer than a second then." Serenity challenged and he handed her the paper. All of it was there, except, as she predicted, the part about being presentable. She lifted her eyes from the written words and glared at him.

He laughed and leaned down to kiss her. "You're too cute when your riled up."

Her brother finally took his attention away from what he was doing and started to make gagging noises. He'd heard everything, but had been trying to ignore them as he finished writing down one of the things that had made them noticeable in their field. His precision with the data was very important and he didn't want to have to run through it all, _again_. "Quit it, you're killing me."

Serenity turned to him, but the other man's arms were still around her. "See this is what I meant about squabbling-"

Serenity wasn't listening. "What's the big deal? I've had to sit by as you've done a lot worse!"

"It wasn't with any of your friends though!" Her brother protested.

"What are you talking about? It was always with one of my friends! That's why a lot of them have stopped talking to me!"

The man behind her tried to clear his throat. They could get at it sometimes, but they were great friends first and really this was just loving jabbing between them. They were ignoring him. Someone knocked on the door and peaked her head around the corner. Her red hair fell about her shoulders in waves and her brown eyes sparkled as she took in the two of them. "Serena, we were going to go catch a lunch. Have you forgotten?"

Serenity whirled back towards her friend and a grin split her lips. "Of course not! They're just trying to distract me so I lose track of time!" Her head turned towards her brother and she sent him a deadly look. "Don't think you've won this one, just because I'm leaving!"

"I wouldn't dream of it. I love hearing you say I'm right." Her brother taunted her back. Serenity sent him a further dirty look before turning to the other male in the room.

"Sorry, thank you for bringing that article. I know you're busy at work." She leaned up against him, going up to her tiptoes to kiss him before going back to the other girl. "I'll see you later, all right?"

He agreed and Serenity went with Molly to lunch. The two chatted for hours. Molly was her best female friend, had been her friend for as long as she could remember and she shared every aspect of her life with the girl. Well, almost every aspect. There were a few things she couldn't share and it ate at her sometimes, but most of the time, she just pretended that wasn't part of her life.

A few of the women that Serenity knew from university dropped by, they were in all sorts of different fields and a few read the paper and congratulated her on their achievement. Serenity thanked them when they paid her a compliment or chatted with them a bit at their unexpected arrival. They were eating lunch in one of the better and more common restaurants in town, so it wasn't too far-fetched. Molly even knew a few and so joined in the conversation as well. Really though, this town sometimes seemed so small.

When lunch was over, Serenity went up to the bar to pay for their meals. Partly as an apology that they were interrupted so often, Molly had just moved into town, having gone to a different university, and partly because she was feeling the desire to. She had all these things going for her and she was celebrating with her best friend. She could pay, Molly had paid the last time. A man moseyed up to her and was flirting with her while she waited. Serenity entertained him until the bill came and she paid for it. He wasn't even her type, and even if she wasn't in a committed relationship with a man she had loved since she was seven, she wouldn't have dated this one or anything else like that, for that matter.

He didn't take her no for an answer though as she turned around to join back up with Molly. He followed her, talking to her still. She hadn't realized he'd had as many drinks as he was now proving he'd had. He even grabbed at her, his hand wrapping easily around her wrist and was about to spin her around to face him, wanting to know why he wasn't good enough when another male's hand clamped around his wrist. Painfully tight enough to release her.

Serenity turned to see the restaurant's owner facing off with him. "Leave." The man told the one following her.

The owner was tall enough and broad enough for the other one to think twice about taking him on and he nodded, turning to go without another look towards Serenity. "You always have that problem." Molly commented, slightly amazed at how quickly it took Serenity to get a stalker.

"It wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't so friendly with everyone she met. What are you thinking Serena? You can't just talk to any man, they feel led on."

"I was just waiting to pay and he seemed nice enough at the time." Serenity defended herself. "I wasn't flirting back."

The brunette male sighed. "I suppose. But we've talked about this before. That's how you get losers hanging around."

She'd dated a few losers but they hadn't gotten close enough to hurt her. Serenity shrugged. "I'll try to be more careful in the future, but I can't really change." He knew that and after a quick hug, he said goodbye to them. "Thanks Neph, really."

He nodded to Molly when she sent him a semi-shy smile and then she followed her blond friend out the door. He went back to work, but he was thinking of the redhead as he did so.

–

Serenity let herself into the apartment she shared with, well, nobody really. A few people came by and crashed a few times a month, and one in particular came by more often, but this was her apartment and hers alone. It was nice to have a bit of quiet and distance when she was around so many people throughout the day. She had thought with a major like archeology that she'd be free from large crowds, but she had been wrong.

There were always a handful of people on site when they were digging and a few more managing the show on the outskirts of her vision, making sure they weren't violating any agreement with the local authorities. Many times she had been just about to pull out a valuable object from the ground after recording all of the necessary information when someone would show up and inform her that where she was digging was fine, but where the object was, was actually out of bounds and she'd have to move to another location so they could uncover it themselves. Then what happened to the piece was questionable. That depended on where she was digging.

Then even in this shop that she owned with her brother, smaller pieces that nobody really wanted to place in a museum, or from dig sites that were in their countries of residency, that didn't need to be cited were sold to people who wanted something small to add an unique flavor to their home.

Most of the stuff they sold though was antiques from a lot closer in time to their present than what she was really passionate about. There was another one of them that had a passion for antiques and finding them and so brought them back to their shop to be sold. He just had the day off today.

After a little relaxing and time on her own, there was a knock on her door. Serenity got up and before she could answer it, someone let themselves in. He came baring food. "You know exactly what I wanted."

"I love it when you smile like that." He leaned down and stole a kiss from her before bringing the food into the kitchen and then starting taking out her sparse dishes. She had no need or desire to cook, so she didn't need dishes in her ridiculously large and well equipped kitchen.

Thankfully her friends always dropped in and cooked, throwing all sorts of parties and get-togethers and random shin-dings. Many times they just crashed her free and quiet time because they knew she didn't mind, too long of silence and she'd be going up the walls, and they'd cook for themselves and offer her food as well. They just wanted to use her kitchen, she didn't even have to be there. Hell, she'd given the key to a few of them to host a dinner without her while she was at work or they did it while she was on a dig. At those points though, she usually had someone watching the place, checking on her plants. They did a better job taking care of her plants than she did, so they kept them alive, they got to use her kitchen.

All of it though was an excuse, she needed someone to watch the place. Being an archeologist wasn't the safest of jobs. Her extra perchance for danger though required a bit more caution.

"Did you do a check yet?" Serenity shrugged at his question and he stopped what he was doing to look at her. "How long have you been home?"

"An hour or two." Serenity reluctantly told him, knowing how much he worried over her. "The place is fine. I would have known if there was a risk."

"Like you knew the last time?" He kissed her forehead as he walked past her to go check out the apartments. He wasn't angry or chiding, he had infinite patience with her. She sighed and followed him, leaving the food to cool while he did the check she was supposed to do every time she came home. So as to not be taken unawares. Again. Even though she was slight, it was better to know and face off her enemy rather than let someone come up behind her. Perhaps she could even scare them off if she made enough purposeful noise. "Go eat, I can do this."

"Yeah right." Serenity poked him in his back. "I'm not going to let you get hurt on your own."

"So you want us to get hurt together?"

"That's not what I meant." She mock pouted. "I just have your back. But really, this is ridiculous, what's the likelihood that something will happen twice?"

He didn't answer and it didn't take him long to finish checking. He turned to her and slid a hand along her jaw and rested on the back of her neck. She tilted her head up, and he leaned down to kiss her. His lips moved from hers to her cheek. "Better if we go eat dinner now, before it cools."

"It can reheat. There is something else hot right now that needs to be taken care of before it cools."

"Yeah?" He chuckled, lifting her up and taking her back the way that they had come. "I am feeling a bit of a burn as well."

The food was forgotten until the next morning.

–

Serenity threw them into the mic as that was the only cooking she knew how to do and she didn't always do that well. "Hmm..." A male voice sounded from behind and arms wrapped around her waist, pressing in against her backside. "You're too sexy in my shirt. Anything on underneath it?" One hand slid down and she moaned, leaning back into him.

"You're going to make me burn our food."

"It's just food, I can always buy more."

"That's good enough for me." She turned and hooked a leg over his hip and they headed back into the bedroom.

–

She was still up and about before her brother got to work that morning. "Morning sis." He said, still half asleep, and walking into their shop. "No boyfriend today?"

"Some people have to get to work on time, they can't come in and out as they want. There's something called responsibility." Serenity told him cheekily but she was still smiling. They hadn't finished their argument yesterday, but really it had no bite to it.

"I'll learn that word when you do." He came closer and hugged her before moving off to sit in his chair, feet propped up and looking at her with a grin. She grinned back at him, the day starting as it always did. Give or take a few friendly barbs.

Serenity sat back in her own chair. That was the nice thing about this job, they owned the building and got to chose their chairs and the layout. The chairs were comfortable and they could goof off if they needed a break or communicate well as they worked over the large tables between them.

The front would be closed until the last member of their team got there. He promised a big score today. "Bets on when he actually gets in today?"

"Game." Jadeite threw a crumpled up ball of paper into the trash and he scored. "I'll win this round, Sere. Half an hour later than he'd said yesterday."

"I say two hours."

"That's a pretty big bet. I hope you can pay up when you lose."

Serenity smiled knowingly at him and went back to work. She took off her leather gloves and replaced them with latex, they were thinner and allowed her to touch the object and read it without the worry of going too deep. She could do this without the gloves, but it wasn't always a guarantee that she could read it from such a distance. It was the only way to make sure she wasn't thrust into it.

Jadeite watched his sister's change of handwear as she worked, once he was assured that she was being careful, he went back to his own work. They were identical pieces, made at the same time. It was now their job to see when and what was going on at the time.

"Created in 1583, January 23rd at- 4:02 PM." Jadeite told her as she slowly rotated it in her hands.

She nodded. "The sun was hot that day. It was hot enough to cook them faster than normal." She frowned. "I can't read what the temperature was but it was hot enough that people had to stay inside."

"It was... 120F. Boy that was hot." Jadeite agreed. "Where are they?"

"Morocco. It was a girl not yet hitting womanhood. She was arguing with her father about them that day. She didn't want to do it anymore. These are the last of her full sets."

"Then what?"

Serenity walked with the father to the market, he sold them to an old woman. Serenity tilted her head as she fast-forward to how it was used. "Burial urns for the old woman and her husband. They knew they were going soon." Serenity smiled. "They were put in them afterward and sat in the corner shelving of their family home, watching over them for the next several generations."

"I'm seeing 1794, May 3rd at noon."

"They were knocked off the wall, her was chipped, but the damage was done, they could not put it back together and the dust was swept out. The newest owners of the house didn't know what they were for or from and didn't believe in their traditions. They decided it was best to redecorate, not knowing why they hung onto them for so long anyway."

"What happened to them after that?"

"They got thrown into a river and it was buried in a dried up lake until we uncovered it." Serenity announced. "Now can I touch it?"

Someone laughed and Serenity's eyes swung around to a man with long silver hair in a ponytail. He came in carrying an armful of antiques. "I guess that's be fine."

Serenity checked her watch and stuck her tongue out at Jadeite. "Two hours exactly." Then she got up and started poking around in the pile the newest arrival brought it. She had taken her gloves off and the silver-haired man moved her back and away.

"I don't think so, not until we know."

"How am I supposed to sell them if I can't even touch them?" She'd had this argument with them before.

"Your talent is a bit more unstable than your brother's. Once we get through them, then you can. You know this." She still liked to dig through and look at their newest arrivals without first cataloging them. After she did, it was less likely that she'd be sent to that time. Still a possibility and someone was always around to watch her. And not just because of her perchance to disappear by accident.

Serenity rolled her eyes at the ones that are looking at her now. She pulled out an old clock. "Does this still work?"

"No, but its got the working of being fixed. Someone will buy it. I got it for cheap and we can make a pretty good profit."

Serenity nodded as she agreed with what he said. "Grandmother clocks sell well." After she picked through the latest picking, she started sorting. These things would go into different parts of the store. For an antiques shop, it was remarkably well laid out, it wasn't just a mashup of everything, hoping someone would be in for one thing and discover five other things next to it that they must have. She wanted her clients to be able to come in and find what they were looking for. That would bring them back to look for other things and not feel guilty for buying impractical things. If they saw something else while in the store, that's great, because they wanted something more and were open to it before they came in.

"Hey Jade?" She asked, having trouble with all the things she brought out to stock the shelves. "Could you help me with this?" She didn't want to break anything. He came out and helped her manage it. The other one was still in the back, he was going to start working on the ones that needed to be fixed. These were either perfectly fine or in need of fixing but to do so would depreciate the value of the pieces.

"Anything else?" He asked, catching one of the items as it slipped under her arm and putting it where it belonged.

"No. I shouldn't have taken so much out here. Thanks for your help."

"Yeah no problem sis. I owed you, right?" He was teasing her, he still owed her the winnings of their bet. "How'd you know he'd be two hours late? I'm the numbers guy, aren't I?"

She shrugged. "I guess I just know him better than we thought."

Jadeite rolled his eyes and finished helping her set everything up. "Think there's anything left in the van?"

"I'll go and check." Serenity placed the last item down and spun around to go for it, she hated being cooped up too long, even in her own shop. She always took an hour long lunch out in the gardens or at an outdoor table somewhere in the city. The shop part had large windows with nothing blocking the beautiful outdoors. The back though was a place that was secure and had a lot of precious and not so precious items in it and so while looking as welcoming as possible, it was still stifling at times. She usually left the door open between the front and back. Keeping and eye on the front as well as letting in some natural light. Which would be perfect if it didn't rain six out of seven days a week. She was more adjusted to the warmer climates, would have been living it up if she had been in California and south or near the Mediterranean.

"Uh-uh." Jadeite wrapped an arm around her waist and pulling her back. "You can stay in the front. He's got the back. I'll get the rest from the van."

Sometimes Serenity really wished after she discovered this talent that she'd gone into a different field. By then though she had discovered a passion for it and she'd already finished two years of university and three and a half years of credit. They wouldn't be watching her back all the time, afraid she'd disappear and this ongoing pest would never have started. She'd never be in danger if she took a lot more mundane field.

She could have been... she really had no idea. She had discovered this one day and couldn't turn her mind off of it. No matter what she would have done, she would have still been unhappy, always thinking of this what if. She'd take everything that had happened with a grain of salt as she was doing what she loved. What other job would she have as much control over either? With the ones she loved?

Serenity let Jadeite go off and pull in a few antique tables and dressers and put them in the right spots, and they assessed how much they'd charge for them. A few stickies were placed in sight but not in the way and then Serenity headed back to finish the next piece she was working on. The one that she was more perplexed by, one with a lot more history.

–

Lunch was upon her quickly and Jadeite joined her. Their third employee was off looking for more scores and Jadeite went with her to a local bistro.

The rest of the day went quickly. "I'll pick you and the boy toy up about a half hour before we have to be there."

"So 7:30 then?" Serenity lifted a brow. "I thought you were great with numbers."

"Yesss." Jadeite rolled his eyes. "I'm also great with words."

"That's yet to be seen." A peck on Serenity's cheek and a handshake with Jadeite followed.

"Neph! What are you doing off of work?"

"I had a break. I wanted to come over and see how things were going. You know, I can't believe I can still sneak up on you guys." 'Neph' was looking over her head at Jadeite. She looked up at him and then at her brother.

"What?"

"Just wondering if you told Jadeite about your little run-in at lunch yesterday?"

Serenity rolled her eyes. "Come on, just give me a break. You people don't need to be worried about _everything_."

"She's right Nephrite. She's a grown woman. We can protect her from what we can and whatever else, will be dealt with afterwards. We don't need to be watching her that closely. I trust her." Jadeite really did and he was still leaning against a table, with his arms crossed.

"I trust her too."

"So if she didn't think that was a big deal, then you don't need to tattle on her later on. She'll tell me if she thinks its important."

"I second that. I also appreciate not being talked about like I'm not here."

"You're right, sorry Serena. It's just you're like a kid sister to me." Nephrite ruffled her hair. "I can't help but be protective."

Serenity shrugged. The five of them had grown up together, lived next to each other all of their lives and when college moved them physically apart and their jobs further, their love for one another brought them back together and they were as close as ever. But it hadn't been easy, they had to work hard to remain in contact during the most difficult times and now it was easier, they all lived in the same city again and within the same radius in this city. "Only if that means I get to be protective of you too."

"You going to protect me from your best friend?" Nephrite asked.

"Only if you get the nerve up to ask her out." Serenity turned her gaze away from her surrogate brother and onto her real one. "Speaking of which, are you bringing someone to the event?"

Jadeite made a face. "You have no more gorgeous girls to chose from. So I had to go out and find my own."

"HA! I told you!" Serenity gloated.

Jadeite wasn't pleased, he'd forgotten that argument. "Whatever. Hot people always gravitate towards one another. Just be glad that they deem you worthy to associate with."

Serenity glanced down at her watch ignoring him, flattered that in his own way he called her pretty. "I have to get to my appointment." She was having her hair, nails and make-up done at the salon. She wouldn't if she attended these events more often, but since it was only twice a year she could splurge. "See you later Jade, dateless, I'm sure."

"Hey!"

"It's too late to spring that on any girl." She reminded him, looking at her watch again.

"Then I'll just have to find my date at the party. I guess I'll have to go stag then." He didn't seem too choked up about it though. He was actually rather pleased by the idea, though they'd be mostly archeologists and rich people. Never mind, that was the perfect place for Jadeite.

"Later." Serenity waved at them and disappeared out of the shop. Jadeite would lock up when he was ready to go. It was only five now and Jadeite as going to take an hour to get ready himself. There was a lot he could do to look good, or at least better.

"Did you want to stay here or close up shop early?" They'd had no buyers in today, but that wasn't rare. Many people stopped and gawked in the window, but it was a slow economy and they didn't really need a lot of people to stay in business. Serenity and Jadeite got enough income other ways to support themselves. Though the rent on this place and their respective apartments were high, they supplemented it still. They survived. Sometimes on the backs of their parents who gave them a loan at times, always paid off again before the year was up, with some interest even.

Their parents didn't mind, it was actually another income for them too. The family had always been tight-knit so Serenity and Jadeite weren't too opposed to ask for help occasionally.

"Ren?" A voice called out to her as she was just putting on her shoes in her bedroom as her boyfriend allowed himself in and Serenity couldn't help the smile that always crossed her features whenever she thought of him or whenever he was near.

He wasn't her first boyfriend or the first boy she was intimate with, but he was the one that she had always wanted. She as just afraid for too long to reach out for him. She had never thought he felt the same way about her.

She came out of her room and he stood up straighter. "Wow." He was flabbergasted. "Are you sure you want to go to this?" His voice turned husky and she tapped him on the nose as he came forward for a kiss.

"Nah-uh. I'm going. I didn't spend this type of money on _you_." She of course was only joking but when he came in to kiss her, she pulled back. "Seriously though, I don't have too much replacement lipstick."

"All right." Then a rare thing happened and she saw him pout. She laughed. "Seriously though, you look amazing."

The red dress clung to her curves, though she didn't have much in that sense, but she was balanced. Her heels were so tall that she actually reached his chin for the first time. She didn't wobble on them, but the night was still young. She wasn't the best at walking in heels anyway and he was surprised she'd chosen such heel. She'd probably break an ankle. His hands rested on her hips, the material was soft but not silky. It was structured and not loose. It exemplified her curves, made them more pronounced and the heels elongated her legs.

"We got to get going or I'm not going to be responsible for what happens next."

"We're waiting on Jadeite."

"That damn brother of yours, he's going to be the death of us." Serenity laughed at his joke because it was pretty close to the truth. He looked amazing as well.

"I've never seen you clean up so well." Her hands slid up to his lapels and then there was a loud knock on the door. "He's got perfect timing." She rested her head on his chest with a groan. "How'd he bypass security?" Jadeite had a key, but he always forgot it.

"Come on. The sooner we go, the less likely we'll skip it." He pulled her towards the door and she took every step carefully. She was practically on her tiptoes and that was with the addition of half an inch of platform. A lot but not too much to seem too obvious that she was adding height from the front. "God your legs look the sexiest I've ever seen them, but don't hurt yourself. You sure you don't want to change shoes? Maybe some flats?"

Serenity shook her head at her silly boyfriend. "Let's just go." Then she opened the door to her brother and he wolf-whistled.

"Looking good man!" He bro hugged her boyfriend and then looked at her. "And you too, I guess."

Her boyfriend slapped her brother upside the head. "Be nice to her, she's the only sister you've got. While you've got three brothers."

"I said she was looking good." Jadeite grumbled, rubbing at his head. "Don't mess up the doo. I'm ready to go meet some hotties and get my playa on."

"Don't do that. You sound stupid." Serenity slapped him upside the head too. "Definitely don't talk like that to anyone I know."

Jadeite huffed and lead the way away from her apartment. He opened the door to his car for Serenity to sit in the front seat. Her seat slid forward as far as it could, she still had plenty of room. Jadeite got into the drivers seat and the last rider had to jump into the back of the convertible and squeeze in uncomfortably. Serenity laughed for a good portion of the drive. Not that they had too far to go, but it took a lot longer with the traffic. She didn't even mind not putting up the hood as he'd be having to squeeze even more and the speeds they went wasn't much in the way of danger to her hair style.

The dinner and event was going well. Serenity found herself alone for the first time in the night, at least as far as escorts went. She was still surrounded by well-wishers and ones wanting to know more.

"How do you do it?"

"What do you mean?"

"The two of you, how do you do it?"

"I guess it just comes naturally?"

"Yeah, but there is all these details that would be impossible to figure out otherwise. Could you at least tell us more?"

"There's not much to say. I don't think it can be explained away. It's just part of our work effort." Serenity shrugged, not knowing what else she could say about it, she'd played more mysterious before. Now she was just trying to be honest and slip away from being confronted on this any more. She was among mostly friends.

"I don't know how you can do both archeology and keep a shop open." One of the women commented.

"Speaking of which, it seems a bit kitshy to have both. How can anyone take you seriously when you're selling antiques. Isn't that a sell-out?"

"It's not. The two don't really have anything to do with each other. The shop is a joint effort while the archeology part is separate. We even keep them in a different room. Only Jadeite and I deal with that aspect. There are similarities as we have to date and validate each of the items we encounter, but that is as far as the two overlap."

"I thought you sold archeological items there too. Or was that misinformation?"

Serenity's nose twitched and she had to refrain herself from lashing out against this woman. She was a nay-sayer. Someone in her field that didn't think what she and her brother did was real. She was constantly attacking Serenity, not Jadeite, on everything, from looks to procedure to things she couldn't even control, things that were out of her hands. It was getting old and she always chose public venues.

"We sell antiques and the occasional piece that has been approved to sell. They're always small items. I recall you withholding items from the review board."

The woman's eyes burned into Serenity. "I would question how reliable your certificates are. How do we know that you aren't selling high priced items, rare items that would benefit the department to just gain a quick dollar?"

"Because we are here tonight, aren't we? All of the important finds come to the museums and their rightful places. You would know that if you weren't a cultural anthropologist and actually got your hands dirty sometimes."

"I find a lot of important information doing the cultural side of things."

"From a distance. Have you gone abroad once?" She hadn't and Serenity had her there. The only time the woman went was to live it up as a socialite. This woman had been in her life since day one as well, their parents had been frenemies and that tradition passed onto their daughter. Serenity was trying to mend that fence, but she wasn't having it.

Serenity turned away, done with this argument now that she had a leg up over the other woman. Though as she walked away, she snagged another glass of champagne. Then she was invited into another conversation. This time it was about a piece she had uncovered in South America, Bolivia actually. She started talking about it and once that happened, she got on a roll.

When they finished with that, she had another glass of champagne in her hand and she went to one that another archeologist was talking about. Another few glasses of champagne and she had wandered around the entire exhibit. She nodded along to her father's friend's praise, it was great, they had done a wonderful job with the staging.

She stumbled over the last step into the eating area as she made her way back to her family. Her parents hadn't shown up today, they were down in South Africa with her other brother. He was studying down there. Unlike Jadeite and Serenity, he was taking the slower path, but like them, he was branching out from England.

One of the men standing near the walls and doorways reached out and steadied her. "Thanks." She wandered away from him and found a snack as it was going around on a tray. She shared a word with the waitstaff for a brief moment and the waitress left smiling, shaking her head and had a small laugh. Most everyone Serenity touched left happier than they had been before they spoke to her. She didn't even say anything uplifting or remotely important. Most everyone because some guys left more frustrated than before, happy sure, but also angry. She just had that affect.

Jadeite was the first one to notice. Where ever her boyfriend was, she didn't know. She must have taken a misstep because her brother was suddenly there in front of her, catching her before she went crashing to her knees and doing as her boyfriend thought she'd do after awhile in them. "Hey, you ok?"

"Yeah." She waved off. "I thought you'd be out chasing the women around here."

"I know all of them already. I'm craving something else." He explained. He glanced around, but nobody noticed her near-miss.

"Where is he?" She asked, not staying on topic too long.

Jadeite rolled his eyes. "He's in the bathroom, told me to watch you while he was out of the room. He saw you weaving a little."

Serenity nodded. "Sounds like him. Good boy." She patted him on the head.

A faint frown crossed his lips. "How much have you drank?" He felt her shrug and with another glance around he sighed heavily. "All right, lets get you out of here." Jadeite tugged her towards the valet. The car was up at the sidewalk before she knew it. "I'll call him when we get there." He decided to drive to their shop as it was the closest.

He helped her into the building and she sat on the edge of one of the tables. "I'm fine, Jadeite, really. Don't fret." He was looking in the mini-fridge for a bottle of water.

"Yeah right." One could tell that they were siblings. "Here, drink this."

Serenity hopped off the table and started arguing with him, even as another one let himself in, having hired a taxi. "Seriously. I'm fine."

"Fine? You're drunk!"

"I am not! I just had a few too many drinks!"

"That's what drunk is!"

"I know what drunk is! I'm not _drunk!_"

"Then why are you weaving, slurring your words, talking louder and switching subjects like an ADD child?" Jadeite argued back, barely noticing their witness.

"I'd say that about your attention with women!" Jadeite glowered at her.

"I'm not that bad."

"You change women like I change shoes!"

Jadeite started cracking up with that comment. "If I could keep up with your shoe change, I'd be one lucky man." He pushed her slightly, but in a friendly, sibling way, forgetting that drunk and her heels were a horrible combination.

She stumbled and caught herself from falling, luckily and they all breathed a sigh of relief but when she turned back towards him to give him hell for that, her elbow brushed against one of the university's candle holders from the sixteen hundreds. Jadeite had brushed against it before, and only had a vague idea of when it was from.

Nothing happened for a moment and then she disappeared. The piece remained, but his sister was gone. "Just great, this is exactly what we need now."

"I'm going to kill you one of these days. Honestly, I think that most of the time she's found in these situations, it's been your fault. Where did she go now?"

"New England?" Jadeite winced and tried to piece together what little information Serenity had given him. She had looked at it, but hadn't done too much yet with it. Jadeite ran his fingers along it and settled down a year. "Time to gather the troops."

With a groan two cell phones came out and they dialed the others that were needed for this.

–

Serenity landed with a thump in the middle of a church. The hell fire and broomsticks sermon cut off as all eyes turned to her and stared. "Ah crap." She groaned, getting back to her feet and her stance wavering as she attempting to get the heels back under control. "Hey guys." She smiled at them and held her hands up as they also rose to their feet. "It's not what it looks like." She was now rethinking her short skirt. "Jadeite better get here soon." She muttered to herself. "Come on guys, help a girl out."

"Who are you?" The man leading the sermon glared down at her. She was bright and colorful and clearly the devil's attempt at spiting God in this Quaker's church.

She laughed nervously and knew that was a mistake as well. "Um... I'm just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Those words had never been more true, and she looked like the devil as well, wearing hot red, short skirt, and pointy feet. The devil or his mistress.

"Pitchforks?" Someone asked from behind her and she spun, latching onto her brother.

"Lets get out of here."

"What? You don't want to explore?" He was teasing her and she shook her head. There were some time frames that she didn't want to spend more than a minute in. Her head was whipping back and forth so much that he was afraid she'd hurt herself. He laughed at her antics. "Zoicite is working on it. Either they'll be able to pull us back like this, or they'll come here and we'll find a way back."

"What if we mess up our own history with this?" This was so closely tied to their own, and so much more recent than the usual places they landed.

"History doesn't change." He reminded her. "They'll forget us or it will work out some other way." That was true enough, but also they had never tried hard to change history. They had always attempted to be observers and not make a dent.

Jadeite held onto her and suddenly grinned. "It's time to go home. What do you want to say to them?"

"I'm Jesus?" She said it loud enough for all of the church goers to hear her.

"Then that makes me God." Jadeite was laughing as they disappeared, the look on their faces was priceless.

– _Not within the 60 hours but tied into _–

Later, much later, Serenity looked up Quaker beliefs in America and saw that one church was thrown out of the division as blasphemers, saying they'd seen God and his son was actually a daughter. It started the whole A trend in New England as women started dressing like her. They were all persecuted as seeing the devil or being touched by a witch. That was not something their church was ready to accept.

Serenity made a mental note. They could change history, but it wasn't as far reaching. That was something interesting and of pretty big importance. They'd have to tread more carefully in the future. "Won't you come to bed?" A male voice called out from his bedroom. They were in his apartment tonight and Serenity responded.

"Sure, hold on!" She was putting off going in there. For if she did, then eventually she'd have to sleep and then when she slept she'd see a face she didn't love. She was actually beginning to mentally hate it while her heart was moved. Then she'd wake up feeling guilty and disgusted with herself. She had the great guy she loved, why would her dreams be pointing her in another direction? So she tried not to sleep so she wouldn't see him, but she was looking more and more tired by the day.

He was from a time long before hers. If she stopped being an archeologist, would the dreams finally leave her alone? She'd have to make a decision soon and she'd have to tell him the truth. She couldn't hold it back any more. The dream man's eyes were disapproving. Why had they started up only recently? She had been in bliss for so long with her boyfriend and now this?

What had changed? It wasn't like she could get more serious with him than she already was...

* * *

><p>EAN: So what we think? There aren't really any reviews. But I'm hoping that with this chapter you'll go back and reevaluate the others. This isn't the end, far from it. I just wanted to give you an insight into this world. I think its all been so much fun to write up to now. Each so different (Characters as well as worlds), I hope you've enjoyed them as well. Next up, the worlds finally collide. What you were looking forward to, no doubt. By the end, all will make sense.<p> 


	7. Chapter 6 The Craziness Begins

Chapter 6- The Craziness Begins

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><p>In front of them were two colors. They were intermixing and sadly one was growing in number as they slashed down their opponent, cutting down themselves. The two colors were symbols of their stances. Their colors were who they were. What they stood for and what they wanted. It wasn't as easy as good and bad, right and wrong. These men wanted different things and both did bad to achieve their goals.<p>

The ones watching weren't free of doing wrong. They just did it less often. They weren't part of either of these sides as they caused such a bloodshed in the field. The ones watching weren't either side, weren't the third, and depleting in number, nor were they the fourth that sat out, watching and waiting or ignoring all that went on around them.

They were none of these four groups though they wore the color of the last to blend in. To hide from gazes and strife. They only wanted to fight when they needed to, not because someone else got it into their head to attack them.

"The whole field is filled." Makoto commented as she watched above Endymion's shoulder. "The sheer number makes me think that there aren't many left in retainer. If they were to all die here tonight, we'd have very few left to confront in the future."

"Their numbers always seem to grow." Endymion reminded her and then shifted to the side so he could stand and face the others without running into the tall brunette. "There are a lot out there, as Makoto says. The reds though seems to be loosing."

The reds weren't much better than the whites. The whites were winning but as they killed their opponents the blood would soak them and then their own people would be thrown off and swing at them, striking down another white.

"This could be another staging for us." Amy commented, thinking through this. "They don't usually attack in such an open space. The last time they did, we were almost over-taken until Haruka and Michiru showed up."

"That is true." Endymion agreed, he leaned against one of the tree trunks. Makoto was still watching the fight, keeping a look out to see if it shifted in any way. He viewed his nine female followers, in many ways they were better than men, their chief opponents. They were loyal and they had everything men could offer and more. They viewed things a little softer than the men and that offered an unique advantage. Setsuna had once been a part of them and offered another insight and she hadn't been there for the last ambush, though she might have been part of the reason it happened.

"The last time though they had only a fraction on these numbers and waited until we showed ourselves. We had been traveling in more of a predictable pattern then. This time they have no reason to believe we are here." Raye countered her smart comrade who was now eying her as if she were the devil. They all had different viewpoints, that's why they worked the best.

"Michiru?" Endymion asked the silent one in the back. She put her hand mirror back into her skirt pocket and looked up at him.

With a delicate shrug she gave her opinion. "Help."

"The reds won't be too happy if we help them, they'll turn on us instantly." Mina argued.

Haruka was nodding, agreeing with the blond. "I say we go in there and take down both sides. With our help there could be a large portion of both of them that will be gone."

"If we go in and start killing both, whose to say that they wont team up and try to kill us?" Raye spoke again.

Endymion just took it all in, waiting for them to come to a conclusion themselves or exhaust themselves of arguments. Eventually he'd have to step in and decide if that happened, and they'd follow. Half of them would have gone into worse odds if they had never met him.

His eyes landed on Setsuna who was looking the wrong direction. She was on the opposite side of their little space and the battle was to his left. She was at the tree line at the right and looking out in that direction. He wondered if she was seeing anything at all that was in front of her or if her sight was inward. He was about to ask her for her opinion when she turned to look at him.

"We are meant to be here." Her words had everyone else turning to her. "This battle will matter very little in the things to come, but what comes of it will change the course. The chosen one will rise."

All eyes turned towards him, a few contemplating and not quite sure if Setsuna could be believed half the time. Endymion's shoulders rose and sagged. He had no idea what she was talking about, he wasn't intending to rise in this battle. They had a long fight ahead of them. He was slowly coming to a few very important conclusions and he was angling them to where he thought they'd do the best damage.

"Well if she says to fight, we'll fight." That's not exactly what she said and many of them knew that. Nobody said anything though, they were leaning that way anyway. "We'll attack the whites and then the reds if it comes to it." Everyone agreed with him, the whites had more people and were the stronger of the two.

It would have been easy to walk away and allow one to be the victor. The fight would have lasted too long to wait it out, but then they would never know, would never have control. The fight lasted a long time at any rate. Hotaru sat up in a tree with all of their stuff and keeping an eye on things. After the last time, Endymion thought it best to hide her better. He didn't want her to fight if she didn't have to. She'd be their secret weapon if it came down to it.

Setsuna had his back this time as Raye went with Mina and Amy and Makoto were paired up. There was no question about teaming Haruka and Michiru, those two were glued together and were the perfect team anyway. The rest of them could be intermixed if they chose to go that way. Today he thought it better to pair them up, make sure they had the other's back and hoped everyone would come out of this in one piece.

They were leaving behind piles of bodies, many sagging and dissolving back into the Earth, but many still that would remain for a long time. Colors of both red and white were falling at their hands, as predictions did come true, both attacked him and his companions, but they still attacked each other as well. There was no joining forces, each were out for themselves and it was with bullheadedness they did so. Not that Endymion minded, those two sides had only a few intentions for the future and none of it was good for the general population.

He heard a noise and realized it was Raye gasping. They had gotten closer recently and he followed her line of sight to a sliver of blue light stretching between the Earth and the sky. He didn't know where it came from and he couldn't see where it ended. The light expanded outward into a wider cone and within the light there was a shape forming, something dark within it that was moving. It shrunk though as the light did but not inward, downwards. The body fell to the ground onto all fours and when its head lifted and the long golden hair parted, all could see that it was a female. The female was young, but similar to the ages of the women around him. Everything stopped to watch what was happening and what this would be, and the female human shape surprised many but others went back to what they were doing.

The human female's face arrested his attention and her features morphed from cautionary and curious to worried and not to mention a hint of terror peaked through her eyes. Endymion changed directions and was going to go to her side when a hand landed on his arm, pulling him back. "It's a trap." Raye hissed and let him go to attack the closest men around her.

"She's terrified-" Endymion argued. These women had all signed up with him, this one had found herself in the middle of it all. He'd always protected the innocent that somehow found themselves involved and this woman wouldn't be any different, despite how she got there.

"She came in-" Mina hissed.

"A blue light, I know." Raye bit back. "I'm aware of what that means." Her eyes cast over in the newest blond's direction. "But look what she's wearing!"

Mina looked closer as well, they were far away and the enemy was attacking again so it was difficult to see her. Setsuna was staying out of this argument all together as she moved away and attacked the reds. "I kind of like it."

"Of course you would say that." Raye looked at her sideways, her flame sword slamming into the side of a creature that was attacking and it dissolved into dust.

Endymion had no idea what they were talking about, all he knew it was a color he'd never seen before on clothing. It was a color that was something that would never happen. It was almost as impossible as blue winning in the end. It was a color that if anyone else saw it, she'd be attacked instantly, no matter who it was that saw it. It was an abomination and he almost turned away and joined Setsuna because of the color.

Except the look in her eyes stayed with him and he found himself gravitating towards her. She tried to slip back into the woods now after a quick glance around. There were people behind her though and she couldn't go too far. "ENDYMION!" Raye hissed, trying to draw him back, Mina went to go join Setsuna since the taller woman didn't have any back up now.

"It's ok." He tried to reassure as she appeared at his elbow.

"She's a complete-"

"Enough, I don't want to hear it." Endymion really didn't. "She's in trouble and I am going to help her." He cut down several more men and creatures on his way to her and somehow she remained untouched in the time it took him to get to her. It was probably because the enemies were afraid of her and her show of magic that they hadn't seen before. That was part of Raye's hesitancy in helping her, and the outfit and the fact that Endymion went to instantly defend her, he'd never reacted that way before. Raye followed him, watching his back as he reached for her.

The blond's blue eyes lifted to his face and she froze. She backpedaled even faster, away and afraid of him. He took another step forward but she went from afraid of those around her to frightened of him. "Wait!" He called out to her, the men behind her were fighting and she could step into the danger. She could get hurt. "Behind you-"

She stopped and looked behind her as well. She was stuck and reluctantly took a step forward. He was still several people lengths away and suddenly there was four more lights showing up around her, each silver and like the girl's they expanded outward to allow a figure to appear in the light. Unlike the girl, they didn't crumple afterwards. In fact they seemed to broaden outward.

Then the light dissipated and four men stood around the girl in the center. They were instantly in a defensive stance. They took in the situation quickly and started in on a defensive action. One of them grabbed her up about the waist and threw her over his shoulder. Endymion was looking at a very lovely behind for a moment. The other men used their hands and hit back at the men around them. Then all five of them were running off in the opposite direction of where his base was, where safety was.

Endymion took a step forward to run after them. They couldn't go that way, they might be safe, but for how long? Even worse, they were taking her from him and he was burning with... curiosity. Who could she possibly be? Why did she react that way when she saw him, as if she'd seen him before, and was frightened of him? Why was he reacting so strongly towards her when he already had all of his helpers with him? What could she possibly offer?

He was distracted by a few creatures double teaming him and an attack from one of them men on the reds side. "Let them go." Raye grunted as she took one of the attacks and blocked it for him. "She's not alone anymore, she's not in danger."

"She's in all kinds of danger, what if-"

"She's wearing that color. How could she not know? She'll have to take responsibility for it at some point." Raye reasoned and Endymion began to wonder what the other girls would say. He knew there would at least be some sort of argument or debate with different viewpoints on what would happen for every move they made. They could never anticipate all of the outliers. They could never predict how one would react due to the others reactions. Raye could say one thing, but those very same words from someone else would result in completely different behavior.

They only gave him options, rather than tell him what to do. It was his job to take all of their opinions and navigate through to find the best way. One might be the wrong choice, but then he could learn from it and go a different way the next, or something similar.

Endymion held back as the path they took swarmed together and blocked off his destination. He was about to lose them forever. He wasn't even sure if they were supposed to mean something at all. They could just be passing ships.

His knee entered an opponent's gut and the man went down temporarily. A dagger flew behind him and embedded itself into one monster's eye and the creature collapsed into fine dust. Raye picked up his dagger and threw it back, sliding nicely into a man on the white side's larynx.

The man's eyes rolled back and Endymion pulled the blade out of his throat to be used again. This is why, secondly, he had them pair up. Sometimes they would lose valuable weapons or time in a fight if they didn't.

It took all of his willpower not to go after the strange girl and her four male companions. Even now that he was again embedded into this fight, a part of him was pulling him towards where he had last seen them disappear to.

That was why it was so strange to see one of the men running towards him. His eyes scanned out further and saw the other three running in different directions towards where his commanders were. The woman was not with them. In fact, and it took a while to find her in this mess, she was standing stationary in the center. What had transpired?

–

She was holding him back, keeping a distance between them even if she couldn't do it physically or with her abilities. She would convey to him that it was not wise to venture closer. Then she was surrounded, but this time not by these strange creatures or men battling, but by very familiar faces. They took it all in quicker than she could and then she was thrown up over a shoulder and they were off running in the opposite direction.

"No!" She gasped, unable to leave things as they were. She didn't want to see that man or his face, but she couldn't let him die here while they ran. She needed to know, needed to understand.

Serenity's hands found the back of the man who was carting her off, she pushed against it so she could see the others who were fanned out around her. "We _can't_." She begged. "Jadeite- it's _him_." The body under her slowed and the man's head turned to take in the others. "We have to help, we can't just leave like this, answers hanging out there only a few questions away."

"But Sere-" Jadeite glanced behind him to look at the fight still brewing. "You'll be in danger. This isn't a place for us. Perhaps afterwards we can go and look for him? If he's meant to survive this fight, he will."

Serenity shook her head. "I need to know and I can't allow it to be dependent of faith that he survives. I need my answers. We don't know how to go to a time earlier once we've ventured into this world. We've never tried, but I don't know if it is possible."

Jadeite groaned and looked around him to the other three men, begging one of them to come up with a strong stance against her. But all were weak when it came to Serenity and this was one situation that they could handle, if they really needed to. "Sere, promise me-"

"I'll be fine." She cut him off and nobody missed the fact that she didn't promise. When they waited a beat, Serenity stopped trying to hold herself up and she was suddenly dangling and facing the back of the one that held her. Her voice was muffled as she hoped it would be, so she wouldn't have to hold up to her promise as she agreed. "I promise."

"Works for me. No going back on that one." Jadeite spun on his heel and started back out towards the fight, cracking his knuckles as he did so. He relished the fight, hated to leave without one most days but his sister came first.

She was set down onto her feet and there was one last moment between her and the one that did so, to reassure themselves that she would be safe while they left. She looked up between his hands and gave him a smile to quiet his distress. He gave a stiff nod and then was running off towards one pair of the girls. They were the only females out there, so perhaps it was wise to believe them innocents. The man was with three others when she arrived and was still with one, was being helped by one when her brother and the others came.

When they were out of the way and towards the line of safety, she started.

–

"Wait! You can't just leave her!" Endymion fought against the man pulling him along. How was he already to the tree line with the others? Why would they listen to these strange men, other than the fact that they had used strange magic to get here? The fact that they wore neither red nor white meant nothing. Their enemy knew how to lurk behind a guise. Setsuna had figured that out early on.

How was she being left alone? It was inconceivable that she'd be protected as she was. Endymion fought against the man holding him and he was thrust into another man's arms. This one was bigger than the last and then the blond man was running back towards the strange girl. That's when Endymion saw it, she was starting to light up again, but this time it wasn't a beam from nowhere to nowhere, this time it was starting within her and it wasn't blue. He stilled as a red light slowly grew from her and he didn't know what to think, even as the man tugged him backwards into the tree line more.

He could vaguely hear Makoto calling for Hotaru to get down and join them. His eyes were riveted on the girl he thought he needed to help, but she had been the enemy all along. The color might have been from the sun fading it or something else to make it bleach but her energy could not lie about who she really was.

The blond male reached her after dodging through all of those still alive on the field. The numbers were still grand and he did it with amazing speed. His hands went about her shoulders and she looked up with a smile of thanks. It was a soft look and Endymion had a hard time telling his heart that it was only a trick, that she was evil underneath it all.

A silver shield formed around her, to block out any attacks if there were to be any. Endymion looked closer and realized that it hadn't just come about her, but it merged with the one he was creating for them. The blond man had cast a shield around her and that's what had kept her safe even as he left her side. Endymion was impressed.

"Come on, we have to move back further." The brunette male told him, tugging him backwards.

"Wait, I want to watch." Endymion protested, he had to see what happened next.

The man shook his head. "No can do. They'll be back soon enough but to ensure everyone's safety, we have to be out of sight."

Endymion complied, if only for his companions and when the brunette was reasonably sure Endymion wouldn't run off into danger, he let him go. The three remaining men formed a triangle around those here and another silver shield formed, protecting all within it. They worked together to make one as large as they did, and Endymion wondered how much larger it could grown with more space between and perhaps the fourth as well.

He caught one of the other two glancing towards him with a censure look on his face but then the man was looking away again, outward towards the distance. Endymion didn't know why they needed to form a shield on all sides of them, not when the attack would only be from one direction. Unless they couldn't form a single sided shield.

Then his answer was there for him to see. A red light flashed and lit up the entire dome, it surrounded them for a brief moment and if they hadn't created it, it could have come up from behind them and touched them then.

Once the light faded, so too had their shield and Endymion turned to go back to the field. The brunette was there again to stop him. The women bristled at the mistreatment of their only male companion, the one that had brought them all together. They hadn't fought against it before as Endymion seemed to be going along with it, but now... After seeing what these strangers in the odd clothing could do-

"Just wait." The brunette removed his hand from Endymion's arm. "Please. Its safer for them this way."

Endymion nodded stiffly but he wasn't pleased. The women were starting to question things and he could hear their murmurs as they tried to figure it out. They were even starting to ask the men questions. Then Endymion saw her, the one he didn't know, and everyone quieted.

–

Serenity felt her brother's shield protecting her from these men and creatures. She felt the familiar warmth like a blanket, and she knew she would be safe from these attacks. It was still nerve racking though to be in the center of such chaos and rely on another to protect her while she stood perfectly still, waiting for him to come back, to try and not even flinch. It was hard, but she trusted her brother and he never failed her in the past.

She knew it was time to start drawing on her energies. She had to quickly decide which one she would use for this situation. They were all killing each other anyway and so she could use one of her more lethal attacks. She would have tried to disarm them, to turn them and open their eyes but those women and that man were killing them as well.

Serenity didn't want to kill, but she had in the past when she needed to. Something told her that if she didn't handle all of them now, then the others would be in danger. She couldn't allow that. It was best to end this fight now.

Feeling started leaving her from her fingers and toes, climbing through her hands and feet to her arms and legs and soon she couldn't feel sensations in her body. She still had control over it, but she was numb. All of her energy gathered at her center and in her hands. It was a beautiful red color, she just loved to look at it as it floated around her fingers like smoke.

Serenity barely felt the hands on her shoulders, it returned some warmth to them and reminded her that she wasn't just looking at something pretty. There was a reason she had this and it was dangerous. She glanced behind her, looking for confirmation to so many things and he nodded. She smiled her thanks and her eyes sought out the furthest reaches of the field. Wanting to make sure she couldn't see any of the people she was intending to protect.

Jadeite was there for her, he protected her, and brought her back when she went out too far. He kept her grounded and she needed him always. His support allowed her to do so much and without him she wouldn't still be standing. He leaned his head close to her ear and she couldn't feel the breath as it touched her usually sensitive skin, but she could hear him. "Now."

Then she released the dazzling display of light. It shot out of her hands and expanded around the entire field and further. She tried to hold it back, tried to keep it from the woods but it still went into them and she prayed no innocents were caught up in it. Prayed that her friends shield was strong enough to protect those they hadn't even met yet. The flash of red light disappeared almost as quickly as it had come, only there long enough for those who weren't attacked to see it for a brief moment and speculate on what it could possibly.

Serenity collapsed when the energy disappeared and Jadeite caught her, swinging her legs up over his other arm and started walking casually towards where his friends had gone. He easily avoided the dust piled in the colors they once wore as the only indicator that there had once been people there fighting, even the earlier slain bodies were gone.

Jadeite's appearance cause the other men to drop the shield and his blue eyes found that of a man with long blond hair. "Set up a base." His voice didn't hold any of the worry Endymion thought should be in it, for he held an unconscious female form in his arms.

"Is she all right?" Endymion took a step forward but he was beat to her by the one with shoulder length silver hair. The man took her from Jadeite and carefully laid her on the ground, his fingers going to her wrist and then his head went next to her lips, listening, hoping to feel.

The man looked up at the shorter haired blond and nodded. "It's just her energy, she'll be fine." Jadeite nodded and turned to go help the other blond male. The brunette held his position off the side, watching all of these women, ensuring the safety of his small group.

They were all on high alert, watching and suspicious of what the other group was going to do next. The only two not concerned was the unconscious one and Endymion. Endymion because he had confidence in not only his companions but also their sheer number. They took on hundreds and it was only the nine of them. The other one, well, that was because she was unconscious.

Endymion knelt by the long silver-haired man. "What do you mean by, it's _just_ her energy? That's pretty major. She's vulnerable and open for an attack. Hotaru, Makoto go make rounds." The two went off towards the field. Nobody told him that was unnecessary.

"These don't usually last very long." He explained, pushing back her blond bangs and digging into one of his pockets. "Do you have any smelling salts?" When Endymion just looked at him like he was crazy, the man groaned. "Where have we gotten ourselves into?" He turned to look over his shoulder and yell at the other men. "Jade, what year are we in?"

"Um..." Jadeite had no answer, he hadn't looked close enough to find that out. "I'll get back to you on that one?"

The silver-haired man rolled his eyes and finished fishing out what he was looking for. There was a small white thing that he held under her nose and broke it. She came gasping upwards as if brought back to life. She clung onto his shoulders as she tried to gather her thoughts and figure out what was going on around her. "Why didn't you just let me sleep it off?"

"And leave us to figure everything out around here? This is your mess and you want to be here, so you can do the talking."

"That's not very nice." Endymion reached out to take the white thing from the man's hand. "She just risked her life and used up a lot of her energy. What is this anyway? Energy giving?"

"No." The man handed it over and then scooped Serenity up.

"I thought I had to work my own way out of this?" She asked looking up at him. He nodded.

"You do, but that doesn't mean I'm going to make you stand and do it. I know better." She wouldn't have the energy, her legs would give out within seconds of standing and that would make them appear weaker, not knowing limitations and mistreating the female in their group.

Serenity hooked an arm around his neck and then turned to the waiting crowd, wanting to know more. "Hi?" She really didn't know what to say, she hadn't really thought this through, hadn't been planning on it at all. How could she?

"How- What- Who-" Endymion wasn't really sure how to start either.

Just then Makoto and Hotaru came running back in. Guards went up and with them, so too did shoulders as they straightened out from a relaxed position. Hotaru was looking at Serenity impressed while Makoto jabbered in amazement. "They're gone, all of them. Holy cow, how'd such a scrawny thing pull that off?"

"No wonder her energy was depleted." Mina heard Makoto and she too was subsequently impressed. "How could she be awake now after such a feat?"

The man holding her, cleared his throat. "If we could have a few moments to gather our thoughts and make clear what we are doing here, we will answer all of the questions we can."

"Kunzite, we can at least introduce ourselves." The blond girl ignored his look of disapproval and turned to the rest. "I'm Serenity." She indicated that she wanted to be put back on her feet and Kunzite did as she wished. He kept his hands still on her waist though, in case she needed his help and she didn't even think twice about it. "That's Nephrite." She pointed at the brunette across from them, who only lifted his hand slightly to those who turned to look. "Then those two over there are Zoicite and Jadeite." Jadeite looked up and smiled but then went back to looking at what Zoicite was doing. The other blond was too involved in it that he didn't even notice his name being said.

Raye was looking at them guardedly and started when Endymion began to speak. She didn't like it that he was going to share who _they_ were. "I'm Endymion." He didn't tell her who the others were and for that Raye eyed him a little speculatively, wondering if he knew that she wasn't agreeing with this impromptu meeting, no matter what she might have done for them back there. "The others are too numerous to mention at this time. What exactly are you doing here?"

"Well..." Serenity really didn't know and she was saved from answering when Zoicite finally did look up.

"We're ready. Do you want to be here for this Serena?" Serenity turned to look at him and nodded. Before she could even start trying to walk over there, she was picked up once more and then settled onto the grass by her brother. She didn't break her legs, but she was grateful for the help, she wasn't sure she could trust them quite yet. She smiled up at Kunzite and he nodded stiffly back at her.

She rested a hand on Zoicite's leg as she leaned forward to look at the screen of the long silver haired man on the other side. "Hey Artemis."

Gasps and murmurs followed her simple hello but Serenity was too far to hear what they were talking about. Nephrite slowly made his way over to where the other four were sitting, he stood behind them, but his eyes never left the large group of women. "Relax." Kunzite whispered and Nephrite's gaze moved to his brother in arms. "I'm watching them too but you're putting their guard up with such blatant hostility."

"Like you're not being hostile yourself." Zoicite commented, barely heard and a few pairs of eyes looked at their second youngest male member. "It's true." He leaned forward, his arm barely brushing Serenity's as he pointed something out on the screen behind Artemis. It was highlighted for the man on the other end as he could see not only their image but his own back at him as well. "That's the culprit."

Serenity frowned and shook her head after looking at it for a moment. "No its not, it was-"

"I'm sorry, but I can't just stand here and wait around for them to come up with a reason to attack us!" Raye this time wasn't the one shouting, though she was the usual hothead when things didn't go her way. "She's clearly a mark of our enemy. Such a creation should never exist!"

"Haruka, calm down." Hotaru pleaded with her, having watched it unfold Makoto and Raye, though they didn't say anything this time, were clearly backing up the short sandy haired, tall woman.

Michiru eyed the unhappy one, Haruka wasn't one to sit around and wait when there was clearly an unknown element near her and all that she loved. Michiru's attention swung around to the ones distancing themselves physically from them and then laid her hand over Haruka's. The steam quickly billowed out of the taller woman and she sat back unhappy, but would wait.

Endymion gave the other woman a nod of appreciation and slowly began working his way over to them. "We have many questions and we are not used to waiting around for the answers. Especially not in an area that seems to have been an intentional battle ground. Their reinforcements will be gathering soon, especially as they will have no one to report back to them. Both sides will soon gather here and probably cause another skirmish. Your female is strong, but I do not believe she is strong enough to take on another bout of what we have just witnessed. Perhaps you would like to come with us to the nearest rest area or town and we can discuss things further there?"

The five heads went together, and it was clear the female was in favor of his suggestion and was trying hard to persuade the others to her view point. The short haired blond shrugged, he didn't care either way. The long blond said a few words and when the others jumped on him he backed off as well. It was the greatest intensity between the brunette and the silver haired man. They were arguing and Endymion couldn't hear them but finally the other blond who hadn't cared in the beginning stepped in. He rested a hand on Serenity's shoulder and she smiled up at him gratefully.

"We'll talk to later Artemis." Zoicite closed down the communicator when the other man gave a nod on his end of things.

Endymion was curious about all of them. He was not usually in this position, taking back seat and waiting for the others to revel what they wanted to about themselves. Usually he was the one with all the cards in his hands and knew how to play them. In this situation he didn't know anything, whether they were to be trusted or not. That was the biggest question he had. There had been no notification on that end. The women behind him, who were behind him in every way they could be, those had been preordained. These five, they were a complete and utter mystery.

Finally they stood and the long blond haired man gathered up the odd form of communication they had used. The girl took a step forward and her legs couldn't hold her weight when she bent them and she started to fall, but the blond caught her. She patted his hand, thankful of his help. It was that blond that spoke to him. "We shall take you up on your offer."

"Do you need help with the girl?" Endymion questioned and though he took a step forward, so too had Makoto.

"I will carry her if that is the case." Makoto cut him off from saying any more. That's just what they needed, using her to get close to him, it was the oldest ploy in the book.

The men laughed and the blond shook his head. "That's quite all right, we have her under control." Jadeite turned so she could put her arms around his neck and then he hoisted her up to carry her piggy-back style. He said what he meant, but a better turn of phrase would have meant that they took care of their own, but maybe his words were actually less likely to cause unease between the two groups.

Serenity had a feeling that this would be the case for quite some time. She wished it weren't so. Feeling guilty about putting him into this position, she glanced behind her to look at the three men following her and her brother. She tried to show him how apologetic she was. He glanced at her face and then looked away, not sharing what he was thinking. It hurt, it hurt in so many ways. She turned back and buried her face into her brother's shoulder. He pushed her up higher.

"Hey, it's fine." He whispered back to her, trying not to gain any attention on this small situation. "This is not your fault."

She wished she could believe that.

* * *

><p>EAN: Hi, this one is out to Em, since I couldn't respond to the review individually, do you like her better? I didn't understand the comment about seeing a nicer side of her. I thought she was plenty nice, but still bickers like she did with Raye in the anime and Sammy and Rini and Darien, and..., but this time with Jade. She's how I see her in the anime, a bit of a ditz, a little vacant in others attentions and intentions, a little self-centered, a bit of a odd sense of humor and a bit of a scaredy-cat, willing to let others go do what she doesn't want to do, then following them when guilt takes over and showing she can be brave and in it all she still has a big heart. Did I not show that enough in the previous chapter? Hopefully I showed that now. My intentions are what would Serenity be like if she lived in the 21st century, in her 20s, and never met Endymion, in all likelihood would never meet him and was a bit more British. Then adding in a few other twists along the way, not all of which the audience can fully understand yet, since I haven't reveled them. The purpose of this story, perhaps a bit unlike a lot of my others, is that you get to know characters along the way, not all of the information out at once and there might be dark secrets you don't know about, that were never hinted at, because they weren't brought up before or they were trying to hide or ignore them. A bit more real life like but in a fantasy setting. Its not quite a soap opera because I'm not going to suddenly have Jadeite and Endymion be brothers and her pregnant with his brother. Yeah that's right, we don't know! <strong>NOT going to happen!<strong> Just trust me when I say I think you'll all be pleasantly surprised when this ends. Or at least I hope so, I can never judge what all of you will think or do.


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